Executive Section 51 Summary 6
Executive Summary Executive Summary The Important Plant Areas (IPA) Programme aims to identify the best sites for wild <strong>plant</strong>s, fungi <strong>and</strong> their habitats <strong>and</strong> to ensure the protection of these priority sites. IPAs are natural or semi-natural sites with exceptional botanical richness <strong>and</strong>/or support<strong>in</strong>g an outst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g assemblage of rare, threatened or endemic <strong>plant</strong> species <strong>and</strong>/or vegetation of high botanic value.They are identified us<strong>in</strong>g three criteria, threatened species (Criterion A), botanical richness (Criterion B) <strong>and</strong> threatened habitats (Criterion C). IPAs provide an essential resource for governments to assess their progress <strong>in</strong> fulfill<strong>in</strong>g Target 5 of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Global Strategy for Plant Conservation, <strong>and</strong> thus contribute to the World Summit on Susta<strong>in</strong>able Development’s (WSSD) target to reduce significantly the loss of biodiversity by 2010. IPAs are not legal site designations, <strong>in</strong>stead they provide a framework to assess <strong>and</strong> support exist<strong>in</strong>g conservation programmes such as national protected area networks, the EU Natura 2000 network, the Bern Convention <strong>and</strong> Emerald Network, PEBLDS <strong>and</strong> PEEN, <strong>and</strong> the Ramsar Convention by provid<strong>in</strong>g up to date, easily accessible, <strong>plant</strong> data. IPAs have compatible aims <strong>and</strong> approaches with Important Bird Areas, Prime Butterfly Areas, Important Dragonfly Areas <strong>and</strong> Important Herpetological Areas <strong>and</strong> contribute to the Key Biodiversity Areas concept. 170 IPAs (21%) currently have no legal protection. IPAs can provide essential <strong>in</strong>formation to support <strong>and</strong> improve the Natura 2000 Network of the EU Habitats Directive. Of the 510 IPAs <strong>in</strong> the new member states, 399 IPAs are also Natura 2000 sites. In this current project, the first regional IPA identification programme <strong>in</strong> the world, almost 800 IPAs were identified <strong>in</strong> seven countries <strong>in</strong> <strong>central</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>eastern</strong> Europe. In south <strong>eastern</strong> Europe several hundred potential IPAs were identified <strong>in</strong> a parallel project, <strong>and</strong> <strong>in</strong> Russia <strong>and</strong> the CIS region IPA projects are currently be<strong>in</strong>g developed. IPA projects are also be<strong>in</strong>g developed <strong>in</strong> many other countries <strong>in</strong> Europe <strong>and</strong> other regions of the world. This report conta<strong>in</strong>s a summary of IPA methodology, the latest IPA data from twelve countries on site features, threats, management <strong>and</strong> protection, a summary of the l<strong>in</strong>ks to exist<strong>in</strong>g legislation <strong>and</strong> programmes, <strong>and</strong> recommendations for <strong>plant</strong> conservation stakeholders. Detailed national IPA <strong>in</strong>ventories will be published <strong>in</strong> 2005 by the seven partner countries. Hundreds of specialists <strong>in</strong> wild <strong>plant</strong>s, fungi, mosses, lichens <strong>and</strong> algae took part <strong>in</strong> identify<strong>in</strong>g the best sites, <strong>and</strong> each national IPA team <strong>in</strong>cluded a variety of <strong>in</strong>dividuals from academic <strong>in</strong>stitutions, state conservation agencies, <strong>and</strong> non-governmental organisations. The Carpathian Mounta<strong>in</strong>s conta<strong>in</strong> a large number of IPAs across <strong>central</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>eastern</strong> Europe such as the High Tatras of Slovakia, shown here. 7
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