Dwarf Pansy (Viola kitaibeliana)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vascular plant > flowering plant > Herbaceous plant |
| Red List Status: | Near Threatened (Not Relevant) [NT(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: | Viola kitaibeliana |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | Schult. |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | in Stroh et al., 2014 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | (none) |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Assessed as NT in England (Stroh et al. 2014), due to low number of individuals. The entire GB population is within England (Scilly); a revision of the GB Red List (Stroh et al. in prep) demonstrates a continued decline that merits an assessment of EN. |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | As an annual species, numbers fluctuate naturally over time, with total counts this century ranging from a few hundred to thousands of plants. The lack of rabbit grazing at Tean presents a current threat, as does coastal erosion on Tresco. Whilst infrequent disturbance by storm surges can assist in creating the open areas required by this species, their increased frequency and severity, linked with climate change, is thought to pose a significant threat to populations; complete inundation might also be a future scenario, leading to the loss of the species. |
| 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: | No |
| Justification: | This is a nationally rare species, only ever known from the Scilly Isles, and has never been recorded outside of this area. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 4. Autecology and pressures understood |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Climate change |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Opportunistic - sufficient |
| Species Comments: | Volunteers monitor the population on an ad hoc basis, but this usually takes place in most years. As an annual species, numbers will naturally fluctuate over time, but underlying threats could lead to the loss of suitable habitat. |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Prepare an ecological profile to inform future conservation actions, and specifically how to address the potential future threat of climate change.
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: This action involves a thorough ecological profile of the species - all locations are on the Isles of Scilly - Bryher (Rushy Bay), Tresco (Appletree Banks) and Tean (West Porth)
Comments:
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Continue the programme of removing/controlling encroaching bracken, coarse grasses (twice-annual cuts) and scrub on the island of Tean, in order to restore and conserve the dune and maritime grassland areas.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Habitat management
Duration: >10 years
Scale of Implementation: 1 site
High priority sites: Tean (West Porth)
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Collect seed (and store at MSB) for potential reintroductions if the worst-case scenario of habitat loss occurs.
Action targets: 5. Remedial action identified
Action type: Ex situ conservation
Duration: 3-5 years
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 5 sites
High priority sites: Bryher (Rushy Bay), Tresco (Appletree Banks) and Tean (West Porth)
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.