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Biological invasions pose an increasing risk to nature, social security and the economy, being ranked amongst the top five threats to biodiversity. Managing alien and invasive species is a priority for the European Union, as outlined in the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Alien plant species are acknowledged to impact the economy and biodiversity; thus, analysing the distribution of such species provides valuable inputs for the management and decision-making processes. The database presented in the current study is the first consolidated checklist of alien plant species that are present in Romania, both of European Union concern and of national interest. This database complements a prior published distribution, based only on records from literature, bringing new information regarding the occurrence of alien plants in Romania, as revealed by a nationwide field survey. We consider this database a valuable instrument for managing biological invasions at both national and regional levels, as it can be utilised in further research studies and in drafting management and action plans, assisting stakeholders in making informed decisions and implementing management actions.We present the results of the first nationwide survey of alien plant species in Romania, conducted between 2019 and 2022, in the framework of a national project coordinated by the Ministry of Environment, Waters and Forests and the University of Bucharest. The present database complements and updates the database published by Sirbu et. al (2022), which included occurrence records published until 2019. The new database includes 98323 occurrence records for 396 alien plant species in 77 families, with most species belonging to the Asteraceae family. One alien plant species in our database, the black locust Robinia pseudoacacia L., had more than 10,000 occurrence records. The distribution database also includes information on newly-reported invasive alien plant species of European Union concern in Romania (i.e. the floating primrose-willow Ludwigia peploides (Kunth) P.H.Raven) and documents the presence of plants in 44 additional families compared to Sirbu et al. (2022). Each entry includes information on species taxonomy, location, year, person who recorded and identified the alien plant, geographical coordinates and taxon rank.

This article provides useful information on the distribution of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) and presents additional data on the ecology, chorology and phytocenology of the species in the Oltenia region, Romania, based on literary sources, herbaria and field observations. By providing accurate and detailed data, this study contributes significantly to the existing knowledge, as well as mapping efforts of the species at the European level. In the subspontaneous flora of the Oltenia region, the C. sativa species is found in sheltered resorts in the counties of Gorj (Glogova, Valea Perilor, Tismana, Pocruia, Polovragi, etc.) and Mehedinți (Comăneşti, Baia de Aramă, etc.), on mesobasic soils, balanced from a hydraulic point of view. The phytocenoses where this species grows are rich in southern elements (e.g., Cornus mas L., Cerasus avium (L.) Moench, Quercus dalechampii Ten., Tilia tomentosa Moench). They are included in the Castaneo-Quercetum Horvat 1938 association. In Romania, habitats that include areas occupied by sweet chestnut are classified within habitat R4141—Daco-Balkan forests of oak (Quercus petraea) and chestnut (C. sativa) with Genista tinctoria. This habitat has a very high biodiversity conservation value and ecological importance. According to the Natura 2000 directive, sweet chestnut forests are included in the habitat category 9260, which underlines the importance at the European level for biodiversity conservation.

In the present paper, are rendered the results of the research referring to the conservation status of the grasslands from two sites ‘Natura 2000’ located in Oltenia region, in South-Western part of Romania: ROSCI0202 Oltenia Forest Steppe and ROSCI0039 Ciuperceni - Desa. Within these sites, there are five habitats: 62C0* Ponto-Sarmatic steppes, 6260* Pannonic sand steppes, 6440 Alluvial meadows of river valleys of the Cnidion dubii, 6510 Lowland hay meadows (Alopecurus pratensis, Sanguisorba officinalis) and 1530* Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes. The investigation of the conservation status of these habitats was carried out by assessing their conservation status at EU level, namely by assigning them to one of the four categories – “favourable”, “unfavourable-inadequate”, “unfavourable-bad”, and “unknown” – according to the stated attributes for each habitat, to the threats of destruction and to the dangers that may lead to their destruction or disappearance. By applying the evaluation matrix of the conservation state of the five habitats from the two sites Natura 2000, only three of the five studied habitats have a good conservation status: 62C0* Ponto-Sarmatic steppes, 6260* Pannonic sand steppes, 6440 alluvial meadows of river valleys of the Cnidion dubii. The habitat 1530* Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes have a good-moderate status while 6510 Lowland hay meadows (Alopecurus pratensis, Sanguisorba officinalis) has amoderate-poor status. Referring to the characteristic structure and functions to the type of habitat, the research revealed that in numerous areas occupied by the five habitats good conservation conditions are not good.

In the present paper, are rendered the results of the research referring to the conservation status of the grasslands from two sites ‘Natura 2000’ located in Oltenia region, in South-Western part of Romania: ROSCI0202 Oltenia Forest Steppe and ROSCI0039 Ciuperceni - Desa. Within these sites, there are five habitats: 62C0* Ponto-Sarmatic steppes, 6260* Pannonic sand steppes, 6440 Alluvial meadows of river valleys of the Cnidion dubii, 6510 Lowland hay meadows (Alopecurus pratensis, Sanguisorba officinalis) and 1530* Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes. The investigation of the conservation status of these habitats was carried out by assessing their conservation status at EU level, namely by assigning them to one of the four categories – “favourable”, “unfavourable-inadequate”, “unfavourable-bad”, and “unknown” – according to the stated attributes for each habitat, to the threats of destruction and to the dangers that may lead to their destruction or disappearance. By applying the evaluation matrix of the conservation state of the five habitats from the two sites Natura 2000, only three of the five studied habitats have a good conservation status: 62C0* Ponto-Sarmatic steppes, 6260* Pannonic sand steppes, 6440 alluvial meadows of river valleys of the Cnidion dubii. The habitat 1530* Pannonic salt steppes and salt marshes have a good-moderate status while 6510 Lowland hay meadows (Alopecurus pratensis, Sanguisorba officinalis) has amoderate-poor status. Referring to the characteristic structure and functions to the type of habitat, the research revealed that in numerous areas occupied by the five habitats good conservation conditions are not good.