Cladonia peziziformis
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Fungus or lichen > lichen > Lichen |
| Red List Status: | Critically Endangered (Not Relevant) [CR(nr)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | (none) |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Cladonia peziziformis |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (With.) J.R. Laundon |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Woods & Coppins, 2012 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Critically Endangered. A very rare and declining species in Europe. Recently rediscovered in two major populations in England, with two more relict populations found. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | This small species needs targeted search in likely habitats, allowing appropriate management responses to be made. Requires targeted increases in grazing pressure etc. |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Sustainable recovery of this species most likely to be achieved by habitat-scale management, especially locally increased grazing pressure. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 5. Remedial action identified |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Until recently thought extinct in England, but now known from two strong populations in well grazed heathlands (New Forest and Pippingford Park, Ashdown Forest), with two relict populations in the south west. Species is highly dependent on short open vegetation (created through grazing, etc) on somewhat productive heathland soils. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Roll out appropriate habitat management to other lowland coastal and inland heaths on more productive soils.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 100 sites
High priority sites:
Comments: The actions will benefit many other declining Cladonia species but also smaller low growing heathland vascular plants, such as Viola lactea.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Survey potential heathland sites for this species elsewhere in southern England.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Status survey/review
Duration: 6-10 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 100 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Advise land managers on the habitat needs of the species to influence land management decisions, e.g. need for high grazing intensity.
Action targets: 7. Best approach adopted at appropriate scales
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites:
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.