Ex situ conservation of threatened species of the flora of Cyprus: current status and future priorities with respect to the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation Target 8

Abstract

Cyprus is located in the eastern part of the Mediterranean, which is considered one of the world’s richest biodiversity hotspots characterised by high rates of endemism. Many Cypriot plant species are threatened with extinction, urging conservation action. This study aims to assess the progress made so far in the ex situ conservation of threatened plants of the flora of Cyprus, to identify gaps and to set priorities for future activities. The criteria taken into account for the analysis were: (1) IUCN threat category; (2) regional responsibility; (3) legal responsibility; (4) number of known locations; (5) number of known locations with ex situ conservation; (6) number of accessions of unknown collecting location; and (7) occurrence within protected areas. In total, 158 of the 263 threatened taxa (60.08%) have at least one accession in conservation. The percentage of locations from which there are accessions conserved, compared to the total number of known locations is low (24.20%). Only 17.49% of the threatened taxa have accessions conserved from all known locations and are, therefore, effectively conserved ex situ. The percentage of threatened taxa conserved ex situ is lower than the target of 75%, set by the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) Target 8 (CBD 2012), urging additional conservation action. A priority list of threatened species has been established, which can be used as a tool for future planning of conservation activities.