LIFE medCLIFFS at the 4th Mediterranean Plant Conservation Week (MPCW)

Recently, the 4th Mediterranean Plant Conservation Week (MPCW) ewas held in the city of Valencia, a biennial event organised this year by the Centre of Forestry Research and Experimentation (CIEF, Generalitat Valenciana) and the Botanical Garden of the University of Valencia (JBUV), in collaboration with the Inter national Union for Conservation of Nature (UICN) and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, CEPF). It is a remarkable platform to discuss and learn about conservation strategies for Mediterranean plants.

On this occasion, the 4th MPCW gathered an audience of more than 200 attendees from the scientific and technical community specialised in plant conservation and restoration of Mediterranean ecosystems. Among the attendees from the Botanical Institute of Barcelona (IBB), Neus Nualart, curator of the herbarium, Jordi López-Pujol, senior scientist, Eduard López-Guillén, master’s student at the UB, and Arnau Bosch Guiu, technician of the LIFE medCLIFFS project were present.

AThroughout the week, participants could take part in a wide range of activities, from plenary sessions with experts, to thematic talks. The 4th MPCW underlined the importance of preserving the unique and diverse flora found in the Mediterranean region. This event showcased the holistic approach to conservation, which integrates ecological restoration, preservation of native plant species, invasive species management, environmental education and scientific outreach.

Among the many institutions dedicated to the study and conservation of the Mediterranean flora, IBB participants were among the speakers at the congress, with the mission to disseminate the research and projects being carried out. In the following link you can consult the book of abstracts with all the papers presented. Two oral communications and three posters were presented:

– Modeling invasion risk maps for alien plants: application in Mediterranean Sea cliffs with endemic species. Oral communication by Arnau Bosch-Guiu on the modelling tool Riskmapr and the first result maps, all within the framework of the LIFE medCLIFFS project.

– A network of volunteers and observers for LIFE medCLIFFS: an efficient tool for the detection of invasive plants in the Costa Brava. Oral communication by Neus Nualart presenting the two citizen science networks promoted by the LIFE medCLIFFS project with data on participation and most outstanding results.

– How a LIFE project can improve the floristic knowledge: new distribution data on the alien flora of the Costa Brava (NE Spain). Poster on the alien plants found for the first time on the Costa Brava, some of them being first European records.

– Ecological and morphometric study of the genus Carpobrotus in the Western Mediterranean Basin. Poster on Eduard López-Guillén’s Master’s thesis, which gives the first results on the morphological and ecological study of the genus Carpobrotus.

– Strengths, limitations and opportunities of iNaturalist in plant research. Poster on iNaturalist, a citizen science portal for collecting observations of species, highlighting its functionalities and offering options for improving its applications in research.

In addition, during the congress other researchers and specialists working with Mediterranean flora, especially in coastal ecosystems, were met, with whom it will be possible to establish collaboration and information exchange networks. The 4th MPCW has definitely reaffirmed the enthusiasm for the study and conservation of the Mediterranean flora.