IUCN SSC Freshwater Specialist Group

2016-2017 Report

Richard Lansdown

Chair Mission statement Capacity building Richard Lansdown (1) The FPSG exists to promote and further the L Capacity building conservation of plant species which are i. Training course delivered in Omsk, Russia in Red List Authority Coordinator dependent upon wetlands and the habitats May 2017: “Plant Translocation: Theory and Melanie Bilz (2) upon which they depend. Techniques”. (KSR #17) ii. Development of a decision support tool to Location/Affiliation Main activities by Key Priority Area improve restoration projects with emphasis on (1) Ardeola Environmental Services, UK (2016 & 2017) freshwater wetland vegetation. (KSR #18) (2) Institut für Landschaftsarchitektur und Barometer of life iii. Guidance on assessment of aquatic Umweltplanung, Technische Universität Berlin, L Red List macrophytes in rivers in Northrhine-Westphalia Berlin, Germany (Germany), under the EU Water Framework i. Over 1,000 new assessments of freshwa- Directive. (KSR #18) ter-dependent completed in 2016-2017. Number of members (KSR #1) iv. Paper “Use of charophytes for description 194 and monitoring of inland waters in Sicily”, pre- ii. Baseline for a Red List Index of Mediterra- sented at conference in Valencia, . nean Freshwater plants completed in draft, Social networks (KSR #18) working with IUCN RLU to publish assessments. Facebook: (KSR #2) Communications IUCN SSC Freshwater Plant Specialist Group L Research activities L Communication i. Chapter published: Lansdown, R., et al. 2015. i. Symposium held at the 19th International Review of Alien Freshwater Vascular Plants in Botanical Congress in Shenzhen, China, in South-East Europe. In: Rat, M., Trichkova, T., August 2017, including talks by six FPSG Scalera, R., Tomov, R. and Uludag, A. (Eds.) members. (KSR #28) ESENIAS Report 2015 - State of the Art of Conservation action

Invasive Alien Species in South-Eastern Europe. L Conservation activities University of Novi Sad Faculty of Sciences, i. Preparation of accounts for freshwater wet- Department of Biology and Ecology, Novi Sad, land dependent plant species under the Portu- Serbia East and South European Network for guese Flora Red List project http://listavermel- Invasive Alien Species, Sofia, Bulgaria. (KSR #32) ha-flora.pt/. ii. Publication on wetland vegetation restoration ii. Species Conservation Strategy for Damasoni- literature review. (KSR #32) um alisma prepared in 2015 is under review by iii. Taxonomic clarification of charophytes in the IUCN. (KSR #15) Northern Territory in Australia, ten new species iii. One Species Conservation Strategy already identified. (KSR #32) completed for Callitriche pulchra, the Genus Bolster work at national scales Conservation Strategy for Callitriche is nearing L Research activities completion. (KSR #15) i. Vegetation maps prepared for two wetland iv. Report on assessment of conservation Natura 2000 sites in Hungary. requirements of Crinum malabaricum complet- ed, article under preparation for publication. (KSR #27) Richard Lansdown explaining the monitoring protocol for Malabar River-lily (Crinum malabaricum) to students from the Government College, Kasaragod, Kerala 2017 Photo: Shijith Raghavan

v. First global list of accepted names in the ature review; (3) taxonomic clarification of cha- genus Isoetes published in 2017. (KSR #27) rophytes in the Northern Territory in Australia. vi. All “ferricretes” in Santara district, Western Bolster work at national scales Ghats, India, declared Conservation Zones. Research activities: documentation of wetland (KSR #27) Natura 2000 sites in Hungary. vii. First successful reintroduction of Isoetes Capacity building malinverniana in , in 2017. (KSR #27) Capacity building: (1) training in plant transloca- viii. Article on reintroduction of Stratiotes tion; (2) development of a decision support tool aloides in Italy published and talk given as part Malabar River-lily (Crinum malabaricum), to improve restoration projects with emphasis Critically Endangered, Embate, Kerala 2017 of symposium. (KSR #27) on freshwater wetland vegetation. Photo: Richard Lansdown iv. Three populations of Lythrum thesioides now Technical advice: (1) guidance on assessment known in , including one new found in of aquatic macrophytes in rivers in Northrhine- 2017. (KSR #27) Westphalia (Germany), under the EU Water L Research activities Framework Directive; (2) use of charophytes for i. Research into reproductive strategies along description and monitoring of inland waters in water depth gradient of Vallisneria natans and Sicily. V. spinulosa in shallow lakes of the Yangtze Communications temporary ponds along latitudinal and anthro- pogenic disturbance gradients; (3) research into River, China. (KSR #32) Communication: raising awareness of global the botanical species-richness of peat bogs in ii. Research into plant community patterns in conservation of freshwater wetland plants. the Larache region, Morocco. Moroccan temporary ponds along latitudinal and Conservation action anthropogenic disturbance gradients. (KSR #32) Conservation activities: (1) preparation of ac- Projected impact for the quadrennium iii. Research into the botanical species-richness counts for freshwater wetland dependent plant 2017-2020 of peat bogs in the Larache region, Morocco. species under the Portuguese Flora Red List proj- (KSR #32) ect http://listavermelha-flora.pt/; (2) conserva- Unless the funding situation changes, we do not tion of alisma; (3) preparation of envisage any significant change in the conser- Acknowledgements species and genus conservation strategies; (4) vation condition of freshwater plants as a result of action by the FPSG. We would like to thank the Mohamed bin Zayed assessment of conservation requirements of Cri- Species Conservation Fund for supporting work num malabaricum; (5) global conservation action Summary of activities (2016-2017) on Crinum malabaricum and the genus for the genus Isoetes; (6) conservation of “ferric- Callitriche. retes” in Satara District, Western Ghats, India as Key Priority Area ratio: 5/7 Conservation Zones; (7) reintroduction of Isoetes Key Priority Areas addressed: Targets for the quadrennium 2017-2020 malinverniana in Italy; (8) reintroduction of Stra- • Barometer of life (5 activities) tiotes aloides in Italy; (9) conservation of Lythrum Barometer of life • Bolster work at national scales (1 activity) thesioides in France. Red List: (1) complete assessment of 4,000 spe- • Capacity building (4 activities) Research activities: (1) research into reproduc- cies of freshwater-dependent plants; (2) estab- tive strategies along water depth gradient of • Communications (1 activity) lish a baseline for a Red List Index of Mediterra- Vallisneria natans and V. spinulosa in shallow • Conservation action (12 activities) nean Freshwater plants. lakes of the Yangtze River, China; (2) research Main KSRs addressed: 1, 2, 15, 17, 18, 27, 28, 32 Research activities: (1) review of the status of into plant community patterns in Moroccan KSR: Key Species Result alien freshwater vascular plants in South-east Europe; (2) wetland vegetation restoration liter-