PMRs in Western Crete Costas A. THANOS1, Christini FOURNARAKI2, Kyriacos GEORGHIOU1 & 3 3 Panayotis DIMOPOULOS 1 Department of Botany, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiop- olis, Athens 15784, Greece 2 Mediterranean Plant Conservation Unit, Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICh), 73100 Chania, Crete, Greece 3 Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Ioannina, 2 Seferi str., 30100 Agrinio, Greece I. Introduction The objective of the Project CRETAPLANT (LIFE04NAT_GR_000104, Fig. 3.1) has been the creation of a pilot Plant Micro-Reserves Network in Western Crete (Chania Prefecture), on the trail of the pioneering experience of the Valencia Re- gion (Spain). The network is comprised by 7 reserves of an area less than 20 hectares each (Fig. 3.2, Table 3.1). Each reserve has been established on pub- lic land, within 4 NATURA 2000 sites and includes a signi cant part of (if not all) the population of the following targeted species of European Community priority: *Androcymbium rechingeri, *Anthemis glaberrima, *Bupleurum kakiskalae, *Cephalan- thera cucullata, *Hypericum aciferum, *Nepeta sphaciotica and the priority habitat 9370, *Palm groves of Phoenix. The Habitat and Species Directive 92/43/ EEC includes 28 plant species of Community priority for Greece: 8 of them grow in Crete, 6 in the Chania Prefecture (of which 5 ONLY in Cha- nia and nowhere else on the planet). Addition- ally, 4 habitat types of Community priority are found in Chania as well as 13 (out of a total of 239 for Greece) designated SITES OF COMMUNITY IM- Figure 3.1 The CRETAPLANT PORTANCE (SCI) within the framework of the Euro- logo: detail of a golden jewel pean Network NATURA 2000 (with a total area from the Early Minoan era (3rd millennium BC), resembling the corresponding to around 40% of the total land ower of Anthemis glaberrima, surface of the Chania Prefecture). It is therefore one of the project plants. 26 PLANT MICRO-RESERVES: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE Figure 3.2 The PMR network in Western Crete. Table 3.1 The network of Plant Micro-Reserves in Western Crete. (SF: surface, AL: altitude, NI: number of individuals of the plant-target, FL: number of plant taxa within the PMR, EN: number of endemic taxa in the PMR, HAB: number of habitat types, CS: Conservation Status of PMR, FV: Favourable, U2: Unfavourable - bad). obvious that Chania is privileged to host a signi cant biodiversity treasure of the Greek and European nature. The project was implemented in the period of 1.9.2004 - 31.12.2007 by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens CHAPTER 3 PMRs in Western Crete 27 (Bene ciary), the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (MAICh), the Forest Directorate of Chania and the Regional Development Fund of Crete. The following short overview of the CRETAPLANT Project is mainly based on several previous publications and reports (Kargiolaki et al., 2007; Thanos et al., 2007; Di- mopoulos et al., 2008; Thanos, 2008). II. Preparatory Actions In the framework of the preparatory actions: (1) a detailed inventorying of the localities (more than 20) for the target species/habitats has taken place, the size of the population, the threats and the general ecotypic characteristics were es- timated and identi ed and the precise sites of the Plant Micro-Reserves have been proposed and subsequently adopted by the Scienti c Committee (e.g. Figs 3.3 & 3.4), (2) afterwards the detailed maps of the PMRs were drawn in a GIS digital system (e.g. Fig. 3.5), (3) in parallel, the monitoring plans were elabo- rated and included baseline reference data for every PMR as well as the fore- seen monitoring actions concerning the population size and its variation, the monitoring programmes and the speci c localities for the permanent monitor- ing plots, the ecotypic and meteorological conditions and the evaluation of the conservation status of the species, (4) nally, the management plans for every PMR were scrutinised and nalised, comprising the management measures and timing, for each case. In addition, two additional issues were pursued: (5) a mo- lecular, laboratory study for the determination of the genetic variability and the population structure of the target plants (which o ered original but preliminary data and points towards the necessity for a more detailed investigation) and (6) a study about the legal tools for the conservation and protection of nature in Figure 3.3 A general, outlined view of the Hypericum aciferum PMR, at the Fournoti beach, Libyan Sea. 28 PLANT MICRO-RESERVES: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE Figure 3.4 A partial view of the Phoenix theophrasti PMR, at the locality Aspri Limni, near Chryssoskalitissa Monastery. Figure 3.5 Map of the Nepeta sphaciotica PMR; contour is shown in red and population density values in a gradient of green shades. CHAPTER 3 PMRs in Western Crete 29 Greece, which resulted in the proposal of utilising the legal entity of the Wildlife Refuges. In the framework of the non-recurring management actions: (1) a prompt purchase of basic monitoring equipment took place – 4-wheel drive vehicle, 53 dataloggers of various meteorological parameters, 9 micro-stations of record- ing digital data, digital video camera and additional eld micro-equipment, (2) the permanent monitoring plots and meteorological micro-stations were estab- lished according to the Monitoring Plan, adapted in each case to the particu- larities of each PMR, (3) at the same time the establishment of the Plant Micro- Reserves took place in the eld, by placing borderline signs, fencing (only in the PMRs of Cephalanthera and Bupleurum, Fig. 3.6) and establishment of direction boards and information panels. Figure 3.7 The meteorological microsta- Figure 3.6 A caged Cephalanthera cucullata tion located in the open, scree part of the individual in ower. Cephalanthera cucullata PMR. III. Monitoring and Management In the framework of the recurring management actions: (1) monitoring activi- ties and mild management actions - micro-station maintenance and down- loading-elaboration of meteorological data (Fig. 3.7), population and habitat measurements in the permanent monitoring plots (Fig. 3.8), phytosociological and oristic recordings, small-scale activities such as individual fencing, arti cial pollination and outplanting of new plants) were implemented for the period 2006-7, (2) seeds from all plant-targets have been collected and consequently stored at the Seed Bank of MAICh (ex situ conservation) while protocols for seed germination and seedling cultivation were produced, (3) wardening of Plant Mi- cro-Reserves was implemented for the period 2006-7, by hiring and educating wardens from nearby villages. Table 3.1 shows important data for each PMR as well as the evaluation of their Conservation Status. CS for 6 of the plant species is favourable despite the 30 PLANT MICRO-RESERVES: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE Figure 3.8 Partial view of the Bupleurum kakiskalae PMR; the numbered yellow rectan- gles represent permanent, monitoring plots. threats faced. The only exception is the PMR Phoenix theophrasti; the popula- tion of this latter species is particularly small and excessively stressed as well; moreover, no production of fertile fruits and seeds has been observed so far and neither has any sign of natural regeneration. Population size for each of the 7 PMR plants clearly falls into two groups: (Α) Androcymbium rechingeri, An- themis glaberrima and Nepeta sphaciotica with considerably high numbers (and densities) of individuals and (Β) Bupleurum kakiskalae, Cephalanthera cucullata, Hypericum aciferum και Phoenix theophrasti with quite low numbers. Concern- ing the latter group, the extinction danger for these species is immediate while the high-numbered plants do face di culties, as well: Anthemis glaberrima, be- ing an annual, is expected (and found indeed) to exhibit large uctuations of its yearly seed production; Nepeta sphaciotica grows in adverse climatic conditions and, even worse, confronts a strong grazing pressure. Threats faced by the target plants and their PMRs are compiled and evaluat- ed in Table 3.2: grazing (or not unusually overgrazing), tourist development and the accompanying land use change (and loss of habitats), other human activities (trampling, plant over collection, vandalism etc), wild res and climatic change. These threats and pressures are considerably enhanced when combined either with the small size of certain populations, that may potentially lead to genetic erosion and species extinction (e.g. the cases of Bupleurum kakiskalae, Cepha- lanthera cucullata and Phoenix theophrasti) or with the biological characteristics of the target plants. As far as the latter issue is concerned, the annual Anthemis glaberrima has an expected (and recorded as well) inter-annual uctuation of population size; the monocarpic perennial Bupleurum kakiskalae owers and sets seeds only once during its lifetime (and then dies), thus a certain degree of natural regeneration (production of new seedlings) is of paramount importance CHAPTER 3 PMRs in Western Crete 31 TABLE 3.2 Threats faced by the PMRs of Western Crete. for the survival of the species; the orchid Cephalanthera cucullata owers only erratically (i.e. not yearly) and its regeneration is similarly problematical; nally, Phoenix theophrasti, at the Chrysoskalitissa area, has not been observed to pro- duce sound seeds or seedlings. The most serious threat of all is grazing and it a ects almost all target plants. Unfortunately, in the case of Nepeta sphaciotica it cannot be eliminated due to the exceptionally di cult access to the PMR area and both the adverse climatic conditions (snow cover, strong winds) and soil morphology that do not permit any long-lasting fencing construction works. On the other hand, however, in the cases of Bupleurum kakiskalae and Cephalanthera cucullata, fencing yielded spectacular results. In the former species, 83 young plants were recorded within a fenced enclosure, after only 2 years, which corresponds to almost doubling of its population.