Golden Hair-Lichen (Teloschistes flavicans)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Fungus or lichen > lichen > Lichen |
| Red List Status: | Vulnerable (Not Relevant) [VU(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: | Teloschistes flavicans |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Sw.) Norman |
| 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: | Vulnerable in GB, with stronghold in SW England where the species appears to be continuing to decline. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Current status/trend uncertain due to lack of recent data (apparently very little if any monitoring). Also lack of recent info on threats 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: | Likely to benefit from coastal grazing creating and maintaining short turf/soil niches |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 2. Biological status assessment exists |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Medium-high |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - insufficient |
| Species Comments: |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Produce a species dossier to collate information on current and historic sites, including results of surveys and assessment of threats and remedial actions.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: all
Comments: Fundamental first step ahead of monitoring/condition assessments. There is very little information available and seemingly very little known on current status and condition of most sites. Seems to be no summary/collation since B. Edwards work in early 2000s, which can form the basis of this work. This will also form the basis for a monitoring/condition assessment plan. Seems to be little info on SSSIs with the species e.g. doesn't seem to be a feature of Lundy SSSI despite this being historically the main site in GB, also no monitoring.
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Monitoring of all known sites not specifically monitored since 2020.
Action targets: 3. National Monitoring Plan agreed and implemented
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: 2 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: all
Comments: Essential to understand current status, threats and actions to address threats. This will form the basis of any national monitoring plan.
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Once status and threats understood, determine the key actions required at site-scale and begin engagement with site managers; provide advice and support.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Advice & support
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 20 sites
High priority sites: all
Comments: Also need to identify any national level threats that need to be addressed; and address recognition and management within designated sites where species is not an interest feature.
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.