Wild tulips in Central Asia have become rare, expert says

Researchers assessing wild tulip species for the IUCN Red List have found that 32 of 62 species evaluated so far are threatened with extinction, according to Brett Wilson of the IUCN's Wild Tulip Specialist Group. Most of the at-risk species cluster in the Tien Shan and Pamir-Alay mountain systems of Central Asia, which Wilson calls the richest region on Earth for tulip diversity.

The chief threats are livestock overgrazing, which tramples bulbs and eats flowers before they seed, and climate change, which is pushing mountain species upslope with nowhere higher to go. Mining, infrastructure, and overharvesting of showy red-flowered species near settlements compound the damage, though commercial tulip breeding relies almost entirely on cultivated varieties rather than wild stock.

Wilson noted some wild material has entered breeding in recent years possibly without clear permits, though he describes this as small-scale and driven by enthusiasts rather than industry. Conservationists say reintroduction from cultivated stock is possible but must avoid hybrids and only proceed where original threats have actually been reduced.

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