Suchergebnisse

Known as manna ashes, some local varieties of Fraxinus ornus L. and F. angustifolia Vahl (Oleaceae) are cultivated for extracting the manna, a product rich in mannose which is useful under both pharmaceutical and nutraceutical aspects. As wild plants in Sicily these ashes participate in diversifying evergreen and deciduous oak woods as well as other forest communities at the watercourse borders, together with several species of Salix, Populus and Ulmus, particularly in the hills. Cultivation of manna dates back to ancient times in Sicily and elsewhere and ash groves were increasingly spread up to the half of last century. Then, the culture had a progressive decline due to the abandonment of land and its gradual replacement by other crops. Most of the surface formerly occupied by ashes is now uncultivated and therefore also exposed to recurrent fires. As a consequence even the rich varietal heritage, documented by detailed monographs, went partially lost, although recently have not missed a revival of the local scientific community.In the face of the many thousands hectares occupied by these crops in the past, now residual plantations are confined in just a few hundred hectares in the territories of Castelbuono and Pollina (province of Palermo), in the northern side of the Madonie mountains. In this area the plant landscape had been strongly characterized by the ash groves, that besides acted an efficacious hydrogeological protection. At present, despite the progressive loss, the cultivation of manna ashes could still play an important role in the local economy. Therefore, in order to preserve all social, cultural and even biological values as well the landscape, it was proposed to establish a natural reserve of the manna ashes some decades ago; but that suggestion was later abandoned after the Madonie natural Park was estasblished. Nevertheless the Park has not, over the years, affected concretely the further abandonment of ash groves and the protection and conservation of the related landscape. Recently, the Sicilian Regional government has adopted some measures aimed at supporting farmers for replanting ash groves: these are active conservation initiatives for the produc- tion of manna. Here we find it useful to propose even passive measures such as reforestation like those implemented elsewhere in the province of Palermo with good results for the envi- ronment and landscape. Other initiatives, that could not be postponed, concern vocational training as well as research and conservation of ash varieties germplasm to be grown in specific arboretums such as those already implanted in the fields of the agricultural schools at Castelbuono (Palermo) and Mussomeli (Caltanissetta) and in the experimental plantations at Sparacia (Caltanissetta), SAF Department of the Palermo University.

Due to its location, Sicily has always represented an important biogeographic bridge between floras of temperate and tropical climates as well as between those of the western and eastern Mediterranean. Its central position in the Mediterranean was also key factor of a millenary history of human settlements which resulted in profound landscape changes in the past, but even at present human pressure continues to be very heavy. In spite of this, Sicily is part of one of the 10 most important hotspots in Mediterranean Basin, thanks to plant richness and endemism (Médail & Quézel 1999: Conserv. Biol. 13(6): 1510-1513). The bryophyte flora, including ca. 600 taxa (almost half of Italian bryoflora), is, as well as vascular flora, very rich and likewise threatened. A first list of 182 endangered species of Sicily and small islands around it was compiled by Campisi & al. (2003: Intern. Sem. on Harmonization of Red Lists for threatened species, pp. 241-275), but a precise category of threat was not assigned to taxa. The establishment of a complete Red List is fundamental to bryophyte conservation in Sicily a fortiori because it is an Italian region with legislative and administrative autonomy in the field of environmental protection. The project, here presented, has just been started with regard to liverworts and hornworts. It takes into account specific guidelines for bryophytes as well as the IUCN criteria. As to the latter, however, it was considered appropriate to adopt some changes to avoid an overestimate of endangered species, following a procedure similar to the one adopted by González-Mancebo & al. (2012: Biodivers. Conserv. 21: 3613-3636.) for the compilation of Red List of the Canary Islands. For assigning threat categories, therefore, we opted for scaling the thresholds set of the Extent of Occurrence (EOO) and of the location number. Besides a red list the project provides for the realization of atlas of top 50 bryophyte taxa for which sheets with description, general and Sicilian distribution, ecology, EOO and AOO, the main threats and status in Sicily will be reported. Some examples of sheets of rare liverworts in the island are illustrated.

OUR CLAIM: "The Botanical Gardens are, par excellence, responsible for carrying out the important mission of the conservation of our flora, through specific actions on live plants and their seeds, along with education and outreach aimed at spreading a new environmental culture, more careful and respectful of the essential needs of life, more sensible to the aesthetic and scientific value of the national flora" To overcome the isolation and strengthen their role in our society, the University Botanical Gardens have become promoters of national and European consortiums: examples are the working group "Botanical and Historic Gardens" of the Italian Botanical Society (1) and, on the global level, the Botanic Garden Conservation International (2). Aims and tasks of the Botanical Gardens in the second millennium have been the topic of a thorough debate, with specific references to the provisions of the United Nations Programme for a sustainable development. In particular, the Action Plan for Botanic Gardens in the European Union (3) identifies the following major assets: scientific research, conservation of plant diversity, public advisory services on it, environmental education related to it. To pursue these objectives, initiatives are constantly needed to enhance the visibility of the institutions involved and help them to perform their functions. in this contest was born FLORINTESA FLORINTESA is a program agreement, funded by the Italian Ministry of Education (MIUR) with identification code ACPR12_00201, involving as partners ENEA, Plinianum Forum and the Italian Botanical Society, which contributes to bridge the still existing gap between the scientific research, the technical action of conservation and preservation of plant diversity and the public awareness on such themes. The main objectives of the FLORINTESA can be summarized as follows: - Establishing an institutional network service for information and dissemination on the flora of Italy, with reference to the role of Botanical Gardens as centers of research and knowledge on the national flora, as well as on the assessment and conservation of its rarest species,; - Disseminating and publicizing the activities of the University Botanical Gardens for the flora of Italy; - Increasing the visibility of the Italian Botanical Society and of its working group on "Botanical and Historic Gardens"; - Disseminating the achievements and helpful assistance offered by the Botanical Gardens in the implementation of the National Strategy for Biodiversity (4) and the Natura 2000 Network (5), through initiatives such as the Italian Germplasm Banks Network (6), the International Foundation pro Herbario Mediterraneo (7), the pan-Mediterranean Genmeda network (8), the Horti Mediterranei Educational Network (9). The flora of Italy will be the leitmotif of the actions envisaged in FLORINTESA, highlighting the unique role of the University Botanical Gardens and their respective institutions as "engines of knowledge" on the national flora heritage, as "engines of awareness" on the important issue of conservation of flora and habitats, as "engines of passion" for the grateful acknowledgement of the role of plants as primary producers not only of resources in the natural ecosystems, but also of inspiring beauty in the human cultures. The kick-off meeting, open to all members of the Italian Botanical Society, will take place in Rome, at the Auditorium of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, on January 23, 2014.