Plant Conservation Biology: a view from the Mediterranean ecoregions

Abstract

This Special Issue provides an overview of the current status of plant conservation biology in Spain and other regions around the World. Papers represent selected outstanding presentations made during the 9th Congress of the Spanish Society of Plant Conservation Biology, which took place in Granada (Spain) on July 9-12, 2019. These papers cover different topics, all illustrating present trends in plant conservation biology. They highlight the important contribution of different approaches to plant conservation in the area. This special issue is dedicated to the memory of the Spanish botanist José Antonio Fernández Prieto (1950-2019).

Conservation and Phylogeography of Plants: From the Mediterranean to the Rest of the World

“…); in three Mediterranean study cases (California, Spain, and Western Australia), threats originating from human activities represented more than 80% of all threat types [47]. Other studies warn of a worsening conservation status of threatened flora in both high mountain and coastal areas in south Spain, an outstanding biodiversity zone within the Mediterranean Basin [48]. Despite this, the five Mediterranean regions have different historical, cultural, social and political contexts and dynamics [28] and experience differences in the magnitude and type of threats to biodiversity [31,49], leading to a long history of comparative research [28] and biome-level approaches to conservation [31,50,51].…”

Spatially explicit assessment of genetic variation to inform conservation effort for an endangered Mediterranean conifer,Cedrus atlantica

“…Despite their biodiversity, compared with Central European forests, Mediterranean forests are delicate ecosystems whose current conservation status is due to natural and anthropogenic drivers (Quézel et al, 1999 ). For example, Mediterranean vegetation has experienced distribution changes during glacial–interglacial cycles (Svenning et al, 2008 ) and historical deforestation of vast areas for agronomic use (Mendoza‐Fernández et al, 2021 ), which has reduced the distribution range and genetic diversity of the species. Among Mediterranean forests, the biodiversity and ecological importance of conifer forests (such as Abies pinsapo Boiss., A. marocana Trab., A. numidica Carr., A. nebrodensis (Lojac.)…”