Recent Efforts to Recover Armeria berlengensis, an Endemic Species from Berlengas Archipelago, Portugal

Abstract

Berlengas archipelago is a UNESCO world heritage site and the only location where Armeria berlengensis is found. This species faces various threats, namely, human disturbance, the presence of Carpobrotus edulis, yellow-legged gull, common-rabbit, and black-rat populations. Thus, exclusion areas were installed, which blocked the access of most Gulls, aiming to promote the recovery of A. berlengensis. Additionally, rabbits and rats were removed from the island. After six years of surveys, there has been an increase in the number of individuals of A. berlengensis in the exclusion areas, and a clear shift in the size structure of the A. berlengensis population. Significant changes in the height and diameter of the individuals were also noted. These findings indicate that the population of A. berlengensis is changing and becoming a healthier population. Principal component analysis results show a straightforward dissimilarity between the areas with A. berlengensis and those without the species and allowed the clustering of two groups: the rupicolous species and the nitrophilous species. A. berlengensis produces few seeds (seed set 3.4%), which raises concern regarding the long-term survival of the species. Thus, further conservation efforts must be implemented, such as the control of invasive species, gulls, and ruderals, to allow for the recovery of A. berlengensis.

Conserving Endemic Plant Species in Oceanic Island’s Protected Areas

“…Eradication of IAS in general is a complex and controversial management action. On islands it is attainable in the early stages of invasion [35], but later it is largely restricted to a few invasive mammals such as rabbits and rats [105] and then, for most species, permanent pest control is the only option.…”

“…The use of in-situ and ex-situ conservation action has been an integrated approach increasingly used in the management of islands PAs, namely, to conserve endemic species [105,111,[113][114][115][116]. The Hawai'i islands alone, e.g., have 14 state, federal, non-profitable and international institutions involved in ex-situ and in-situ conservation programmes, which are responsible for research in plant conservation, native ecosystems, managing wild plants, tissue culture, seed bank maintenance, species populations recovery, besides data management, defining strategy, priorities and planning, outreach, and training, among other activities [117].…”