Conserving Wild Plants in the South and East Mediterranean Region

Conserving wild plants in the south and east Mediterranean region Editors: Marcos Valderrábano, Teresa Gil, Vernon Heywood and Bertrand de Montmollin INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN. This publication has been made possible in part by funding from MAVA Foundation. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, and IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, Málaga, Spain Copyright: © 2018 IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non- commercial purposes is authorised without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Valderrábano, M., Gil, T., Heywood, V., and de Montmollin, B. (eds.) (2018). Conserving wild plants in the south and east Mediterranean region. Gland, Switzerland and Málaga, Spain: IUCN. xiii +146 pp. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1942-9 (PDF) 978-2-8317-1943-6 (print) DOI: https://doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.CH.2018.21.en Cover photo: Tulipa sylvestris subsp. australis © Khellaf Rebbas Layout by: Factor Ñ Proofreading by: Christopher Tribe Printed by: Solprint Available from: Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation of IUCN c/Marie Curie 22 29590 Campanillas Malaga, Spain www.iucn.org/mediterranean www.iucn.org/resources/publications The text of this book is printed on Cycle Paper 100/300 gsm made from FSC Recycled Certified paper (wood fibre from well-managed forests certified in accordance with the rules of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)). ii Contents Contenido Editors v Authors (in alphabetical order): v Acknowledgements v Context ix Chapter structure xi Concluding messages xii Clarifications xiii 1.1 Introduction 2 1.2. Floras of the south and east Mediterranean 2 1.3. State of knowledge and main gaps by country 6 MOROCCO 6 ALGERIA 8 TUNISIA 11 LIBYA 12 PALESTINE 15 SYRIA 18 1.4. Conclusions and recommendations 20 2.1 Introduction 22 2.2. IUCN Red List of threatened plant species 23 2.3 Red Lists and threats by country 24 MOROCCO 24 ALGERIA 25 TUNISIA 28 LYBIA 29 EGYPT 30 PALESTINE 32 LEBANON 33 SYRIA 35 2.4 State of knowledge of the extinction risk for plant species 37 2.5. Main threats to plants in the south and east Mediterranean 38 2.6. Conclusions and recommendations 38 3.1 Introduction 40 3.2 KBAs for plants in the south and east Mediterranean 43 3.3 KBAs for plants by country 45 Morocco 45 ALGERIA 53 TUNISIA 61 LIBYA 65 iii EGYPT 67 PALESTINE 73 LEBANON 77 SYRIA 85 3.4 Conclusions and recommendations 92 4.1. Introduction 94 4.2 Policy guidance 98 4.3. In situ conservation at habitat level 100 4.3.1. Protected areas 100 4.3.2 Plant micro-reserves in the Mediterranean area 106 4.4 In situ conservation at species/population level 108 4.5. Species reintroduction programmes 112 4.6 Genetic conservation of crop wild relatives 113 4.7 Ex situ conservation of Mediterranean vascular flora 115 4.8 Ancillary botanic garden 119 4.9 Community and participatory approaches 120 Participatory mapping of Lebanon 121 Studying ecosystems with the involvement of local communities: A conservation programme case study in Morocco 122 Traditional protected patches of Mediterranean forests 123 4.10 Habitat restoration 124 4.11 Conclusions and recommendations 126 Recommendations 128 Annex 1: References 132 Annex 2: KBA criteria and thresholds 146 iv Contributors Editors Valderrábano, M. (IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation), Gil, T. (IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation), Heywood, V. (University of Reading, International Association of Botanic Gardens and formerly IUCN), and Montmollin, B. de. (Mediterranean Plant Specialist Group - Species Survival Commission of IUCN). Authors (in alphabetical order): Abi Kheir, S., Abunnasr, Y., Al-Sheikh, B., Al-Zein, M., Bacchetta, G., Baydoun, S., Benhouhou, S., Bou Dagher, M., Bou Fakhreddine, S., Carruso, E., Chalak, L., Charbel, R., Cogoni, D., d’Ambrossio, U., Daoud-Bouattour, A., El Zein, H., Fenu, G., Fois, M., Forrest, A., Ghrabi, Z., Gil, T., Heywood, V., Itani, M., Kays, W., Kell, S., Laguna, E., Machaka-Houri, N., Magos, J., Malti, R., Martin, G., Marzo, A., Maxted, N., Miller, T., Montmollin, B. de., Omar, K., Perez, A., Porceddu, M., Rankou, H., Samaha, L., Sattout, E., Semaan, M., Shaltout, K., Stephan, J., Tahiqui, L., Talhouk, S., Tawk, L. Y., Valderrabano, M., Vela, E., Yahi, N., Yazbek, M., Youssef, S. Suggested citation for specific sections, for example subsection 4.3.2: Laguna, E. (2018). ‘Plant micro reserves’ In: M. Valderrábano, T. Gil, V. Heywood and B. de Montmollin (eds.) Conserving wild plants in the south and east Mediterranean region, pp. XX–YY. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. Acknowledgements This publication has been made possible thanks to the financial support of the MAVA Foundation and the commitment of IUCN through its Species Survival Commission (Mediterranean Plant Specialist Group) and its Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation. It could not have been produced without the dedication of more than 50 authors and dozens of other contributors. We thank all of them for their support. This publication has been peer reviewed by Jesus Charco and Christopher Tracey. We are grateful to them and to the Publication Committee of IUCN for their suggestions and recommendations. v Oncostema elongata © Khellaf Rebbas FOREWORD vii Foreword The Mediterranean is a top global tourism The recommendations included here enable destination that receives more than 300 million decision makers to integrate plant conservation visitors per year. In contrast to the multiple priorities into broader conservation actions or attractions of the region, plant diversity is initiatives. This will contribute, in turn, to meet virtually unknown to the majority of tourist. This, national reporting needs and global commitments despite that the Mediterranean is a hotspot to the UN Sustainable Development Goals and for biodiversity primarily due to its remarkable the Aichi Targets of the Convention on Biological botanical richness. Diversity. Plant conservation is often overlooked in The identification of effective conservation priorities conservation priorities, where the focus is frequently is critical when resources are limited. Integration on more “iconic” organisms, such as birds, of IUCN knowledge products offer a cost-effective mammals or reptiles. As a consequence, dialogue and efficient opportunity to strengthen regional between plant scientist, site managers, communities biodiversity spatial planning portfolios. Information and civil society organizations in the Mediterranean from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and tends to be fragmented. Furthermore, the lack of the World Database on Key Biodiversity Areas, was a consistent regulatory framework enhances the used in this publication to deliver critical analyses magnitude of the challenge. As the environmental and guide the work of decision makers on behalf of agenda during the next decade will inevitably be Mediterranean plan conservation. linked to climate change impacts on species and habitats, there is a clear opportunity to integrate Botanical diversity not only sustains human plant conservation into climate change policies wellbeing, but is also the foundation for the rest of through the Nationally Determined Contributions biodiversity. for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Antonio Troya Director IUCN Centre for Mediterranean This publication is the first to gather existing Cooperation scientific knowledge, practical examples and lessons learned for effective regional plant Jon Paul Rodriguez conservation. It would not have been possible Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission without the collective effort of more than 50 authors, including botanist and conservation practitioners. This is a good example of the convening role of IUCN and its capacity to mobilize national experts, the IUCN secretariat and members of the Species Survival Commission. The well preserved river of Qadisha with its riparian gallery of Platanus orientalis (KBA Bcharre-Ehden - Qadisha Valley) © Hicham Elzein EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ix Executive summary The Mediterranean region is one of the world’s great The aim of this publication is to provide a centres of plant diversity and its benign climates snapshot of existing knowledge of plant diversity have attracted successive waves of civilisations, in the south and east Mediterranean, and to which have largely shaped our attitudes and ethics propose strategies and actions that can be taken to the present day. Despite the effects of grazing, to enhance plant conservation in the region. agriculture, deforestation, pollution, urbanisation and tourism, it has developed a wide array of Thanks to the joint efforts of more than 40 authors plant landscapes. It is also one of the cradles of and dozens of contributors, it brings together in a agriculture and a centre of origin and diversification single document an overview of existing knowledge of many of our crop species. Nowhere else on on plant diversity,

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