European regional assessment: Vulnerable (VU)
EU 27 regional assessment: Vulnerable (VU)

Dactylorhiza iberica is quite local and often found in small and isolated populations where it occurs. The population is very fragmented and has a decreasing trend. The area of occupancy is under 2,000 km² (about 628 km²). Main threats are posed by changes in hydrology, competition from other species and recreational activities. Therefore, Dactylorhiza iberica is assessed as Vulnerable.

Dactylorhiza iberica is a Mediterranean-Pontic species found in the northern Peloponnese and Greek Macedonia, extending to the Caucasus and Iran, as far as Crimea to the north. The species is missing from the Aegean except from the island of Eubéa in Greece. It is found from 600 to 2,600 m altitude (Delforge 1995, Tsintides et al. 2007, Vakhrameeva et al. 2008).

Dactylorhiza iberica is quite local and often found in small isolated populations where it occurs. It has a very fragmented distribution and the population is decreasing. The population in Cyprus consists of only 180 individuals. (Delforge 1995, Tsintides et al. 2007, Vakhrameeva et al. 2008).

Typical habitats of Dactylorhiza iberica include marshy grassland, wet slopes and stream banks. It grows in alkaline damp to swampy and calcareous soils in full sunlight to semi-shade. The flowering time is from May to August. (Delforge 1995, Vakhrameeva et al. 2008).

The narrow ecological range of this species is submitted to numerous threats especially to changes in hydrology by groundwater extraction, competition from other species, hybridization and recreational activities. Additional threats are tourism development, urbanization, trampling, and plant collection. (Delforge 1995, Tsintides et al. 2007, Vakhrameeva et al. 2008).

The tuber is very nutritious when cooked. It is a potential source of 'salep', a fine white to yellowish-white powder that is obtained by drying the tuber and grinding it into a powder. Salep is a starch-like substance which can be made into a drink, added to cereals or to bread. It can be prepared in the same way as arrowroot. A jelly can be made from the salep which is used to treat irritations of the gastro-intestinal canal (Plants For a Future 2010).

All orchid species are included under Annex B of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This orchid is listed as Endangered in the national red list of Cyprus (Tsintides et al. 2007). The following actions are recommended to protect Dactylorhiza iberica:

• Protection of the living individuals through legislation which bans the species from being picked or dug up.
• Protection of the habitat from trampling and recreational activities.
• Fencing the vulnerable sites to protect the groundwater.
• Ex situ conservation: Artificial propagation, re-introduction, seed collections.
• Monitoring and surveillance of the existing populations and sites.
• Estimate the population size and study their dynamics.
  

(Delforge 1995, Tsintides et al. 2007, Vakhrameeva et al. 2008).