Countdown 2010 - Contributions of the Italian Botanical Society (S.B.I.) to the 2010 targets for save plant biodiversity

1-increase the public awareness and participation for biodiversity conservation, by mean of publications on Italian plant biodiversity (books, CD, etc.), conferences, public events, web pages, etc. In 2005, publication of the Checklist of the Italian Flora, CD on the most threatened species, etc. In 2006, for example, participation to a very popular exposition called “Euroflora” on cultivated and spontaneous plant for gardens, held in Genoa, with a S.B.I. special exhibition on Botanical Garden activities for plant conservation and sustainable use. In 2007 during the S.B.I 101 National Congress which will be held in Palermo, a workshop on 27 of September will be devoted to the discussion of the item: “Principles and methods for plant biodiversity conservation”, expecially the problem of a) plant reintroduction in he field and b) ex situ conservation in Botanical Gardens and Germplasm Seed Banks.

2-S.B.I. is internally organized in thematic working groups and one is traditionally devoted to nature conservation. Presently, its activity is mostly focussed on new redlisting of the Italian flora and the redaction of national guidelines for plant reintroduction/reinforcement.

3-Redlisting. S.B.I. is encouraging the start of a networking (governative auctorities/botanists) in order to A) apply properly the IUCN 2001 criteria and categories for threatened plant to the Italian flora, discussing the problems and finding joint solutions, B) critically reviewing the IUCN 2006 guidelines C) to promote a new Italian Red List, 10 year after the last one, based on IUCN 1994 criteria and categories. Since 2006 key working groups of the S.B.I. have been working together assessing the conservation status of about 40 target species of the Italian native flora, including lower and higher plants. Results will be printed next months on the newspaper of the S.B.I.

4-Plant reintroduction. The nature conservation S.B.I. working group since 2006 is promoting the reintroduction/reinforcements activities for Italian native flora, with A) discussing the IUCN guidelines for reintroduction B) producing a national census of the reintroduction activities in Italy C) stimulating a discussion with politicians and managers of the nature protected areas, in order to achieve a regional/national regulation of reintroduction (Italian guidelines).