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The province of Almeria presents a mosaic of ecological conditions which has given rise to an extremely rich natural patrimony. Combining a number of criteria aiming at the preservation of endangered species with chorologi- cal information is an efficient way of determining the floristically valuable areas at a regional level. Our research aims at defining the most valuable sites in Almeria as far as flora is concerned in order to subsequently compare the results with the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia (RENPA). We have taken as our fundamental reference a very detailed and geo—referenced data base with all the catalogued taxa occurring in Almeria. The implementation both of several algorithms for the automatic selection of natural reserves and of the indexes of Importance and Responsibility provides a set of solutions comparable with the RENPA proposals. Our results reveal that there are still unprotected enclaves with species whose conservation is crucial if we wish to safeguard...

The Baetic mountains are a very important centre of plant diversity and endemicity. The current environmental legislation includes many of these localities. In order to assess the current reserves network and to propose a selection of protected areas, and to examine the biogeographic distinctiveness of that selection, we applied to the orophilous endemic flora a variety of algorithms (some of which were never used for Europe before) on the Baetic ranges. In order to preserve this natural heritage, it would be necessary to protect at least twelve massifs, considering the siliceous portion of Sierra Nevada as a great priority area. The most notable gaps in the legislation are the ranges of Gador, Revolcadores and La Pandera. The selected localities were characterized by their great biogeographical distinctiveness. The distinctiveness of the obtained selections stresses their reliability and also emphasizes the suitability of the biogeographic researches of the flora of the Baetic ranges for conserv...