1. Red list of threatened vascular plants in Italy
- Author
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Thomas Abeli, Graziano Rossi, Chiara Montagnani, Simone Orsenigo, Filippo Prosser, Miris Castello, Gianniantonio Domina, Lorenzo Peruzzi, Fabio Conti, Carlo Blasi, Adriano Stinca, Annalisa Santangelo, N. Tartaglini, Eugenio Duprè, A. Alessandrini, Angelino Carta, Daniela Gigante, Mariacristina Villani, Bruno Foggi, Alberto Selvaggi, Donatella Cogoni, Matilde Gennai, Domenico Gargano, Mauro Iberite, Maria Silvia Pinna, Giuseppe Fenu, Gianluigi Bacchetta, Fabrizio Bartolucci, Robert P. Wagensommer, Orsenigo, Simone, Fenu, Giuseppe, Gargano, Domenico, Montagnani, Chiara, Abeli, Thoma, Alessandrini, Alessandro, Bacchetta, Gianluigi, Bartolucci, Fabrizio, Carta, Angelino, Castello, Miri, Cogoni, Donatella, Conti, Fabio, Domina, Gianniantonio, Foggi, Bruno, Gennai, Matilde, Gigante, Daniela, Iberite, Mauro, Peruzzi, Lorenzo, Pinna, Maria Silvia, Prosser, Filippo, Santangelo, Annalisa, Selvaggi, Alberto, Stinca, Adriano, Villani, Mariacristina, Wagensommer, Robert P., Tartaglini, Nicoletta, Duprè, Eugenio, Blasi, Carlo, Rossi, Graziano, Orsenigo, S., Fenu, G., Gargano, D., Montagnani, C., Abeli, T., Alessandrini, A., Bacchetta, G., Bartolucci, F., Carta, A., Castello, M., Cogoni, D., Conti, F., Domina, G., Foggi, B., Gennai, M., Gigante, D., Iberite, M., Peruzzi, L., Pinna, M. S., Prosser, F., Santangelo, A., Selvaggi, A., Stinca, A., Villani, M., Wagensommer, R. P., Tartaglini, N., Dupre, E., Blasi, C., Rossi, G., Orsenigo S., Fenu G., Gargano D., Montagnani C., Abeli T., Alessandrini A., Bacchetta G., Bartolucci F., Carta A., Castello M., Cogoni D., Conti F., Domina G., Foggi B., Gennai M., Gigante D., Iberite M., Peruzzi L., Pinna M.S., Prosser F., Santangelo A., Selvaggi A., Stinca A., Villani M., Wagensommer R.P., Tartaglini N., Dupre E., Blasi C., Rossi G., Orsenigo, S, Fenu, G, Gargano, D, Montagnani, C, Abeli, T, Alessandrini, A, Bacchetta, G, Bartolucci, F, Carta, A, Castello, M, Cogoni, D, Conti, F, Domina, G, Foggi, B, Gennai, M, Gigante, D, Iberite, M, Peruzzi, L, Silvia Pinna, M, Prosser, F, Santangelo, A, Selvaggi, A, Stinca, A, Villani, M, Wagensommer, R, Tartaglini, N, Duprè, E, Blasi, C, and Rossi, G
- Subjects
threatened plant ,0106 biological sciences ,Agroforestry ,biodiversity conservation ,IUCN Red Lists ,Mediterranean Basin ,prioritization ,threatened plants ,Settore BIO/02 - Botanica Sistematica ,Plant Science ,IUCN Red List ,Biodiversity conservation ,010603 evolutionary biology ,01 natural sciences ,flora ,Geography ,Threatened species ,Natural heritage ,Settore BIO/03 - Botanica Ambientale E Applicata ,Ecosystem ,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics ,010606 plant biology & botany - Abstract
Italy has a rich natural heritage, which is dangerously under pressure. In recent years, there is an increased awareness of the crucial role of plants in ecosystem functioning and in providing ecosystem services. Consequently, an updated Red List of the Italian vascular flora was compiled in this work, at the request of the Ministry for Environment, Land and Sea Protection, with the scientific support of the Italian Botanical Society. The IUCN Red List criteria were applied to 2,430 Italian native vascular plant taxa to assess their current extinction risk and to highlight the major threats affecting the Italian flora. Our results revealed that 54 taxa (2.2% of the assessed taxa) are extinct or possibly extinct at regional level, while 590 taxa (24.3%) were assigned to a risk category. Moreover, 404 taxa (16.6%) were categorized as Data Deficient. The Italian vascular flora is primarily threatened by habitat modifications due to anthropic disturbance and, especially, to agriculture, tourism and residential development. Coastal areas and lowlands, where anthropogenic impacts and ecosystem destruction are more pronounced, host the greatest number of extinct or declining taxa. Our results represent an important baseline to establish conservation priorities, legislative choices and intervention strategies on a national scale.
- Published
- 2020