A new article on plant micro-reserves available on-line

A few weeks ago, the Botanical Garden of the University of Valencia (BGUV) edited the second issue of the newsletter ENSCONEWS, on behalf of the European Network of Germplasm Banks ENSCONET. Main editors of this issue are A. Amblar, D. Lázaro and Drs E. Estrelles and A.M. Ibars, from the BGUV; an international board of associated editors has been formed by Drs. S. Linington, J. Müller and D. Aplin. This issue includes amongst other an article on the concept and development of the plant micro-reserve (PMR) initiative. The address to download the issue is:
http://www.ensconet.eu/PDF/ENSCONET_2nd_Annual_Bulletin.pdf
Of course, you'll also find lots of interesting articles, not only on PMRs!!

Dr Elena Estrelles (Botanical Garden of the University of Valencia), main editor of ENSCONEWS, during the meeting of the scientific committee of the LIFE-Muntanya project (www.lifemuntanya.com), Valencia, February 2006 © E. Laguna 2006

The draft of the 'Review of the European Plant Conservation Strategy' already available

A few days before starting the next European Conference on the Conservation of Wild Plants, Planta Europa V (Cluj-Napoca. Romania, 5-9th September 2007), the secretariat of Planta Europa has advanced the draft of the Review of the EPCS (European Plant Conservation Strategy), to be discussed and enriched during the congress. Informnation is available at the webpage:
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/portal/assets/European%20Strategy/EPCSFulltermreview.pdf

See more information on the EPCS in the Planta Europa's website www.plantauropa.org , and at the area of international projects of Plantlife International, http://www.plantlife.org.uk/international/plantlife-policies-strategies-epcs.html

The TOP50 list on Mediterranean Island Plants in Spanish and Greek

Please read below the news on the presentation of the 'Top 50 Threatened Mediterranean Plants', transmetted from the e-bulletin of the IUCN's Species Survival Commission, issued in june 2007:

Top 50 Threatened Mediterranean Plants in Greek and Spanish: An effective tool for raising conservation awareness, The Top 50 Mediterranean Island Plants, has just been translated into Greek and Spanish by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The Spanish version was officially launched at an event in the Balearic islands on 15 June, and the Greek version, the Union’s first publication in Greek, and will be officially launched on Cyprus on 6 July, at an event to be attended by the Cypriot Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment, Mr Fotis Fotiou.
Top 50 Greek: http://www.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2005-025-El.pdf
Top 50 Spanish: http://www.iucn.org/dbtw-wpd/edocs/2005-025-Es.pdf

Medicago citrina (Font Quer) Greuter. ©E. Laguna 2006

You can download the initial versions (English and French) from the SSC's website at

http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/our_work/plants/mediterranean_top50.htm

The translation into Spanish has been coordinated by Dr Emilio Laguna, who also collaborated in the original version (English) and drafted the sheet for the Valencian-Balearic endemic Medicago citrina, providing information on its protection by means of plant micro-reserves:

http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/our_work/plants/Top50/English/Medicago_citrina_EN.htm