A new conservation manual, The ‘Top 50’ Threatened Plants of the Mediterranean Islands produced by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), has been launched during the 14th Conference of the Parties to the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea. The publication reflects the serious situation of popular species such as hyacinth, rose or violet, along with other lesser-known ones, such as tree alfalfa, Arabis kennedyae and Delphinium caseyi.

The book seeks to counteract the decline of these native natural treasures by supporting the political representatives of the respective countries to make appropriate decisions and protect their natural heritage. It is available in English and French, and those files referring to Spanish, Italian and Greek-speaking islands have also been translated into these three languages.

The Mediterranean basin has about 5,000 islands that vary greatly in size. Many of them are a refuge for an exceptionally diverse flora. Approximately 25,000 species of plants and ferns are native to the basin countries and 60% of these are endemic (not found anywhere else in the world).

In the past decades, intensive agriculture, infrastructure development, urbanization and mass tourism have wreaked havoc on natural habitats. Rapid population growth, climate change, and the expansion of alien invasive plants have wiped out many native species, and many more are on the brink of extinction.

Endemic species are often very localized with small numbers of individuals, making them particularly susceptible to extinction. Any alteration such as a fire or construction can wipe them off the map. The ‘Top 50’ plants featured in the book have been selected for their rarity and menace. It highlights why they are threatened, what is being done to protect them and what would be necessary to prevent them from being lost forever.

Many more species than those collected in this book need urgent action for their conservation. The Mediterranean Islands Plant Specialist Group, together with other institutions and the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, continues to identify threatened species in the region and propose further actions for their conservation.