Preserve protected flora, now, and forever

Preserve protected flora, now, and forever. It is possible.

The problem of the conservation of flora

The conservation of protected vegetation requires that natural populations be preserved. There is no more effective measure than allowing these species to continue producing seeds and perpetuating themselves. But this is not enough. We find cases in which the isolation or reduction of populations condemn them to inbreeding and ultimately to extinction. Or a catastrophic event, a fire or a hailstorm in full bloom, jeopardize the future of a species.

This can be avoided by increasing the distribution of species, the best thing is to facilitate it in a natural way, so that they can colonize new places. But this can take time, it's linked to chance and it's a big risk when we talk about very unique or rare species.

Closer than you think

Alternatively, there is producing the seedlings from seeds and then transplanting them. This makes it possible to reinforce existing populations or create new ones. Currently, Ideas MedioAmbiental is fortunate to participate in an ambitious project that aims to help conserve some of the most unique plant species in Albacete. They are not trees or leafy shrubs, they are modest plants from areas of soil with plasters. Yes, plasters. There are very few places where the floor has a lot of plaster. And gypsum is very toxic to plants. So those that are able to survive in these soils are very special and generally very scarce.

In the surroundings of Albacete, near Casas Viejas, there is an excellent area with gypsum vegetation, which is what is the name of vegetation that can grow on plastered soils. It is currently very degraded and only 4 or 5 hectares are kept in good condition. It is a reminder of the large lagoon area west of Albacete. This vegetation is home to populations included in the Annex II to Directive 92/43/EEC, the highest category of protection at European level. However, they are not included in any form of protection, which makes them difficult to manage.

We are currently working on a project to conserve these populations of protected species by producing plants and strengthening populations. For three years we are going to increase the surface area on which these species grow, test techniques for the germination and production of these plants in nurseries and create new populations that guarantee the survival of these species in the area, on plots of public land.