Conservation Actions for Threatened Mediterranean Island Flora: ex situ and in situ joint actions
Hortus Botanicus Karalitanus
University of Cagliari
Hortus Botanicus Karalitanus
Sardinian Germplasm Bank
Hortus Botanicus Karalitanus, Sardinia
Hortus Botanicus Karalitanus (HBK), is responsible for the scientific management of the project and for all actions in Sardinia.
HBK is part of the University of Cagliari. Its research topics include biodiversity and both in situ and ex situ conservation studies of the Mediterranean vascular flora, and biosystematic and taxonomic studies of the Cyrno-Sardinian taxa. Ex-situ conservation in its various aspects is carried out in the building of the Sardinian seed bank (The Sardinian Germplasm Bank, BG-SAR) that hosts the rooms and the devices for germplasm curation, characterisation and storage. BG-SAR participates in international seed conservation consortia, such as the European Native Seed Conservation Network (ENSCONET), the Network of Mediterranean plant conservation centres (GENMEDA), and the Italian Network of Germplasm Banks for the Ex Situ Conservation of Native Flora (RIBES). Furthermore, it has been involved in various international conservation projects: GENMEDOC (Interreg IIIB Medocc; 2004-2006), SEMCLIMED (Interreg IIIB Medocc; 2006-2013), LIFE+ PROVIDUNE (LIFE+; 2009-2013), “Ensuring the survival of endangered plants in the Mediterranean” (funded by MAVA Fundation pour la nature; 2011-2014) and ‘ECOPLANTMED’ (ENPI CBC MED Programme; 2014-2015).
