"In situ" conservation of threatened plant species in Spain

In only ten years, the number of legally protected areas in Spain has increased from 81 to 557. This has resulted in a growing number of endemic and/or threatened plant species becoming legally protected "in situ". Matching the 1,200 existing endemic species against 557 protected spaces into a presence-or-absence table may be a formidable task, but a satisfactory approach can be obtained through the 600 prioritary species whose conservation situation is analysed in two Spanish red data books. Estimations with this method suggest that a highly satisfactory proportion of the threatened flora is now included in these legally protected spaces, at least for the most endemic-rich regions. At the same time, law enforcement, active protection plans and rescue activities are being developed in several protected area