Plants

This report describes a rapid assessment of Important Plant Areas in the south and east Mediterranean; a project designed to provide the ‘wild plant perspective’ for the regional investment strategy of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. The project partnership of IUCN, Plantlife International and WWF with botanical teams from Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, Syria and Albania, was supported by the French Development Agency.

Ce rapport présente une évaluation préliminaire des Zones importantes pour les plantes en Méditerranée méridionale et orientale, plus l’Albanie. Dix recommandations ont été formulées, qui contribueront à orienter les actions de conservation de la flore sauvage en Méditerranée. La mise en oeuvre effective de ces recommandations permettra d’améliorer à long terme l’environnement et la qualité de vie des habitants dans cette région unique.

This report describes a rapid assessment of Important Plant Areas in the south and east Mediterranean; a project designed to provide the ‘wild plant perspective’ for the regional investment strategy of the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. The project partnership of IUCN, Plantlife International and WWF with botanical teams from Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia, Syria and Albania, was supported by the French Development Agency.

One of the main reasons cited for inadequate representation of biodiversity in the development processes is a lack of readily available information on inland water taxa. In response to this need for basic for information on species, the IUCN Species Programme conducted a regional assessment of the status and distribution of 2,261 taxa of freshwater fishes, molluscs, odonates, crabs and selected families of aquatic plants from throughout central Africa.

South-east Asia is both a centre for the consumption of wildlife products, and also a key supplier of wildlife products to the world. Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR and Vietnam are among the south-east Asian countries that act as major sources of wildlife in trade, the trade involving a wide variety of native species, which, in many cases, are declining as a result of unsustainable, and often illegal, harvest.

This volume gives the most up-to-date information on the distributions and conservation status of species in all inland water ecosystems across mainland continental Africa and the reasons behind their declining status. This represents the most comprehensive assessment yet of freshwater biodiversity at the species level for an entire continent. For managers, this information will assist in designing and delivering targeted action to mitigate and minimise these threats.