The Biodiversity Conservation Centre of Cagliari (Italy)

The Biodiversity Conservation Centre of Cagliari was established to study, manage and conserve the plant diversity in Sardinia. The strategy followed by the centre is to preserve the highest number of Sardinian endemic taxa and those having phytogeographical interest, both as seeds or spores, and as cultivated plants for ex situ conservation. Moreover, the Centre aims to study taxonomy, biosystematics and ecology of species in danger of extinction, and to propose the most fitting strategies to save the habitats where they live. Two projects have been started in the last two years: one to preserve threatened species in the province of Cagliari, the other to study the plant diversity in the west Mediterranean insular area. At present, the germplasm of more than 200 taxa is cryopreserved, while 250 entities have been multiplied in pots and in the rock garden. At the same time, floristic and biosystematic studies resulted in description of novelties in taxonomic revisions, determination of chromosome numbers and publication of local floras. The draft of a law regulating the protection of Sardinian flora has been submitted to the Regional Council