ECOlogical use of native PLANTs for environmental restoration and sustainable development in the MEDiterranean region

The event began with a brief presentation of the project by its local coordinator, Raquel Herreros, who explained how ECOPLANTMED aims to contribute to halting the loss of biodiversity and to promote a sustainable development model in the Mediterranean region by enhancing the conservation of native plants and promoting their use in habitat restoration and the plant production sector. (See presentation: pdf ES.)
Then, Antoni Marzo, director of Seed Bank-CIEF, explained what the criteria should be for selection of species for restoration, focusing on phytosociological and ecophysiological aspects, and on the difficulties related to the recovery of the structure (physiognomy, composition species and genetic heritage) and dynamics (spatial and temporal) of a natural habitat in a degraded area. (See presentation: pdf ES.)
María Aránzazu Prada, from Vaersa-CIEF, addressed the issue of genetic quality of plants for conservation and production for restoration plans. She stressed the importance of maintaining genetic variability of species (inter and intra) during the conservation and sustainable use of resources, as it plays a key role in its capacity to adapt to environmental changes, pest and diseases, and other stresses. (See presentation: pdf ES.)
The morpho-physiological quality of plants was the subject subsequently treated by Antonio del Campo, professor at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and member of Re-Forest (Research Group in Forest Science and Technology). He explained in detail the importance of quality of plants for successful restoration projects in the overall context of repopulation. (See presentation: pdf ES.)
Ramón Vallejo, researcher at the Center for Environmental Studies of the Mediterranean (CEAM), was commissioned to close the event with the presentation of techniques for improving results in restoration plantings. The techniques presented are based on 20 years of applied research in this field and in many habitat restoration projects that have been carried out. (See presentation: pdf ES.)
This dissemination event gave the opportunity to exchange experiences among all stakeholders on the issue of environmental restoration in the Mediterranean. It was attended by over 50 people, mainly technicians of the Department of Infrastructure, Planning and Environment of the Generalitat Valenciana, experts from the University of Valencia, and representatives of other public institutions and research centres.
See agenda for the event here: pdf ES.