Description

In situ conservation actions in existing plant populations of the Mediterranean region are essential to conserve plant diversity in general, and to enhance the conservation status of threatened and endemic plants in particular.

One of the most relevant approaches is plant translocations (including reintroduction and/or reinforcement), also in conjunction with complementary active management measures such as passive defense measures (e.g. fencing the area where the threatened species/populations occur), eradicating or controlling pest plants, or restoring the natural vegetation within or around the area, thus reconnecting isolated remnants. 

It is essential to share experiences across the region to co-develop technical aspects, to refine methodologies and to implement successful in situ conservation actions. Mid- and/or long-term monitoring is also fundamental as it ensures the sustainability of in situ conservation actions and helps to safeguard threatened Mediterranean flora.

This session will explore existing experiences and knowledge developed in the Mediterranean territories, with a peculiar focus on the insular context. Participants will be invited to share their experiences.

Topics to address

• Successful and unsuccessful in situ species conservation actions in the Mediterranean area
• Technical and methodological approaches to in situ species conservation actions in the Mediterranean area
• Good practices in the Mediterranean area
• Medium- and/or long-term sustainability of in situ conservation actions: monitoring activities (technical and methodological aspects)
• CARE-MEDIFLORA in situ project actions and goals (technical aspects) / results / lessons learned / good practices

Chair of the session

Kyratzis Angelos (Agricultural Research Institute, Cyprus).

Co-Chair of the session

Donatella Cogoni (Centro Conservazione Biodiversità, University of Cagliari Sardinia, Italy)

Keynote speakers

Keynote

The challenges of in situ plant conservation in the Mediterranean. Author: Vernon Heywood

He presented the publication: BGCI and IABG’s Species Recovery Manual

Keynote 2

The role of translocations in conservation of wetland-dependent plant species. Authors:  Orsenigo Simone, Graziano Rossi, Thomas Abeli

Short presentations

Contribution of translocations to enhance the conservation status of the threatened Mediterranean island flora: the CARE-MEDIFLORA project. Author:  Fenu Giuseppe (on behalf of all CARE-MEDIFLORA project)

Invasive alien species in the Mediterranean islands: the CARE-MEDIFLORA project. Author: Gian Pietro Giusso del Galdo (on behalf of all CARE-MEDIFLORA project).

Continuous monitoring of the threatened flora of Menorca as a source for the creation of long-term management tools. Authors:  Pere Fraga I Arguimbau.

In situ conservation of a rare plant (Dictamnus albus L.) and its pollinator community. Authors:  Alessandro Fisogni , Gherardo Bogo, Laura Bortolotti, François Massol, Mathilde Dufay, Marta Galloni.

The importance of monitoring translocations in a long-time period. The case of a hybridization of a narrow endemic species from Balearic Islands, Helosciadium bermejoi. Authors:  Juan Rita, Miquel Capó, Joana Cursach

An update on translocation activities of the climate relict tree Zelkova sicula (Sicily, Southern Italy). Authors: Giuseppe Garfì, Loredana Abbate, Stéphane Buord, Francesco Carimi, Angela Carra, Caterina Catalano, Laurence Fazan, Catherine Gautier, Alessando Silvestre Gristina, Gregor Kozlowski, Salvatore Livreri Console, Antonio Motisi, Salvatore Pasta, Giancarlo Perrotta

Assisted reproduction’ as a tool in restoration of threatened plant populations. Author: Gargano Domenico

Overgrazing by ungulates affects Euphorbia dendroides L. population stability in Mallorca landscape (Balearic Islands, Spain). Authors: Miquel Capó, Chiara Engelbrecht, Marta Ramoneda, Carles Cardona, Juan Rita, Elena Baraza