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A consistent vegetation classification is an essential tool for conservation and monitoring purposes, also for semi-natural habitats such as pastures and hay meadows that are linked to traditional land use and generally considered crucial to maintain biodiversity within agricultural systems. Indeed, these habitats can be strongly affected by land abandonment or agriculture intensification. Despite their importance in the framework of the EU Habitats Directive (43/92/EEC), information on distribution, species composition, and conservation status is still lacking for many regions. To fill these gaps, we investigated from a phytosociological point of view the sheep pastures of the North-Western Sardinian trachy-basaltic sector. Three main communities were described as new: (i) perennial montane (meso-supratemperate) cattle and sheep pastures (Loto alpini-Festucetum morisianae); (ii) mixed (annual and perennial) Mediterranean (lower Thermomediterranean to lower supratemperate) sheep pastures (Ornithogalo corsici-Poetum bulbosae); and (iii) annual ploughed subnitrophilous Mediterranean and Temperate pastures (Cynosuro polybracteati-Vulpietum ligusticae). As the first two host numerous endemictaxaand show a peculiar floristic composition, we assign them a higher conservation value, testified also by their classification in two newsyntaxa:Danthonio decumbentis-Caricenion insularis(Molinio-Arrhenatheretea) andOrnithogalo corsici-Trifolienion subterranei(Poetea bulbosae), respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

When assessing the conservation status of narrow endemic plants, life history traits must be taken into account, since endemics combine small population ranges and sizes, and long persistence with limited reproductive and dispersal ability. In this paper, we present the global assessment of the conservation status of a narrow endemic plant from the Sardinian-Corsican biogeographic province, by applying IUCN criteria and categories, together with an evaluation of some reproductive traits. Centaurea horrida Badaro (Asteraceae) is an endemic species of northern Sardinia (Italy). It is protected by the Bern Convention (Appendix I) and listed as priority species by the “Habitat” Directive (92/43/EEC, Annex II). The species appears in the 1997 IUCN Red List as “Vulnerable” (VU). With the aim of evaluating the risk of extinction and of providing management tools for the network of protected areas in which this species is present, some reproductive traits have been evaluated, and the distribution, size and structure of its population have been measured according to IUCN 2006 Guidelines. Centaurea horrida is not able to self-pollinate and its effective seed dispersal ability is limited. Its extent of occurrence is 172.43 km2 and its area of occupancy is 108 km2. Population size has been estimated at 11,719 adult individuals. Significant differences in adult densities among sites have been highlighted. The structure of the population is dominated by adult individuals (on average 68%), while the proportion of seedlings is only 7% on average. Its habitat underwent an extinction rate of 18% in 50 years. On the basis of the data gathered, the status to be assigned to C. horrida is that of “Endangered” (EN). This first attempt to evaluate the conservation status of a narrow endemic plant from the Sardinian-Corsican biogeographic province allowed us to conclude that the management of rare species must be site-specific and that there is urgent need to acquire detailed data on endangered species, especially within biodiversity hotspots, and to continuously update Annex II of the EU Habitat Directive and the IUCN Red List. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Listed and rare species are abundant in temporary freshwater habitats. Among them, the endemic contingent represents a crucial conservation target particularly in the areas characterized by abundant endemic flora for which the local administrations have a high level of responsibility. The aim of this research was to test how the endemic plants found in Mediterranean temporary ponds were represented in Natura 2000 network in a biodiversity hotspot of the Mediterranean region. The results of our research at regional scale pointed out that the existing Nature 2000 sites provide a limited degree of protection and that the gap analysis should be taken into account when conservation priorities are set. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]