Conservation studies on threatened endemic plants of the Mediterranean area: a literature overview for Sardinia

Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, situated in the West Mediterranean basin. Its isolation and high geological diversity have created a wide range of habitats, with high levels of endemism, especially on its mountain massifs. Despite the rich plant biodiversity of the Island and the threats to its endemic flora, few biological conservation studies have been conducted on Sardinian endemic plants. A literature analysis highlighted that 19 papers were published, with the 68% of them being focused on threatened species. These data highlight the poor knowledge on the conservation status of the endemic flora of Sardinia. However, the increasing number of papers detected in the last three years represents a good signal that more attention will be devoted to threatened endemic species of the Island in the near future