The Cretan PMR project in a new LIFE-Focus publication

The LIFE project CRETAPLANT has been choosed by the EC's LIFE-Unit as representative of good practices for nature conservation, worthing a specific chapter in the recently published booklet 'Learning for LIFE'. You can download this book from the folloqing website:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/best_nat.pdf

10th River Restoration Conference

Rivers and wetlands are one of the richest ecosystems often selected to made new small nature reserves; additionally, restoration and best prectices for their conservation are common issue, interesting to the 'microreservists'. The events webpage of the EU's LIFE programme announces the forthcoming 10th Conference on River Restoration, to be held in Nottingham (UH), next 1st-2nd April. Please find below the notice, also available at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/news/events/events2009/april09.htm#river

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The aspiration of this conference is to provide a forum where ideas can be discussed across disciplines. Topics might include the following where river restoration or habitat enhancement is an integral part of the project: Flood risk management working with natural processes; climate change proofing; river basin projects ; benefits and effectiveness of schemes for habitat enhancement ; indicators for appraisal and evaluation; urban regeneration; planners and urban design.
A programme will be prepared and circulated in the New Year along with details of the conference costs. It is aimed to keep costs as close to those in 2008 as possible (i.e. circa £275 for an RRC member as a residential participant).
This is a possibility for LIFE projects to contribute. If you are interested in presenting a paper or poster please send your abstract to the river restoration centre by 7 November 2008.
For more information about this conference refer to the website.

The Slovenian PMR in a new LIFE-Focus publication

The series LIFE-Focus edited by the European Commission's LIFE Unit, has recently published the book "LIFE and Europe's grasslands - Restoring a forgotten habitat", donwnloadable from the webpage below indicated. Therein you will find lots of examples of grasslands protection and conservation practices, including the LIFE project on the conservation of the Karst Edge (Kraski Rob) species and habitats, one of their actiities was the selection of 30 future microreserves -citated as 'micro-areas' in the LIFE's book-. Of course, you will laso find lots of interesting and successful results of grasslands management, species conservation, etc. Please click on the following link:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/nat.htm

10 years of Valencian Plant Microreserves

PMR 'Illa Ferrera', included in the Nature Reserve of Columbretes Islands, was the first protected microreserve. © E, Laguna. 10.1997

The first legal rule to protect a plant microreserve worldwide under the legal name 'microreserve' was passed by the Valencian councilior of environment the 16.11.1998, and entered in force after its publication in the official gazette (Diario Oficial de la Generalitat Valenciana), 02.12.1998. That first Order established the official declaration of 14 PMRs in the province of Castellon. The first one was the island 'Illa Ferrera', forming part of the Nature Reserve of Columbretes Islands. Ferrera is a small island (ca. 1 ha) conserving the last remainders of the extinct climax vegetation of Columbretes archipelago -a brushland dominated by Pistacia lentiscus, Smilax aspera and Chamaerops humilis-, as well as good representativeness of the most valuable local endemics, Lobularia maritima subsp. columbretensis, and the luzerne tree Medicago citrina.

Updated information on the Valencian PMRs

Current data on the Valencian PMR can be consulted at the list available via http://es.geocities.com/microreserves By the end of 2008, the Valencian Community holds 273 officially protected plant microreserves which enclose populations of more than 1.625 species of vascular plants. 1.288 populations of 527 species are targeted for long-term monitoring. The protected surface reaches 1.918 ha, but most PMRs are under 2 ha size.

New EC's brochure on LIFE and plant conservation issues

The European Commission has recently edited the book 'LIFE and endangered plants - Conserving Europe's threatened plants', which include a section on the pioneer Valencian plant microreserves project, as well as the CRETAPLANT. The foreward of Mr. Patrick Murphy, EC's Head of Unit on Nature and Biodiversity, includes a special mention on the Plant Microreserves (PMRs), and both the Valencian and Cretan projects holds a special logo as 'LIFE PMR projects'. Please download the PDF book from
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/publications/lifepublications/lifefocus/documents/plants.pdf

Happy new year 2008

'Micro' starts with the smaller forms of wild plants: seeds and seedlings!!. Here you are the Christmas card sent by Dr Costas Thanos including the logo of the CRETAPLANT project.

Christmas card sent from Dr. Costas Thanos, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.

The blog unit of 'Plant Microreserves' wishes to all the visitors a happy new year 2008, waiting for new PMR proposals.
Some news?, go on with: In a few time, the Generalitat Valenciana will protect 14 new plant micro-reserves (so raising a network of 273 protected PMRs). In addition, by April 2008, the Frederick Institute of Technology (Nicosia, Cyprus) will hold a technical meeting on PMRs. The blog will inform you during the next moths!!!