Executive Section 51Summary6
Executive SummaryExecutive SummaryThe 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. IPAsare natural or semi-natural sites with exceptional <strong>botanic</strong>al richness <strong>and</strong>/or support<strong>in</strong>g anoutst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g assemblage of rare, t<strong>hr</strong>eatened or endemic <strong>plant</strong> species <strong>and</strong>/or vegetation ofhigh <strong>botanic</strong> value.They are identified us<strong>in</strong>g t<strong>hr</strong>ee criteria, t<strong>hr</strong>eatened species (CriterionA), <strong>botanic</strong>al richness (Criterion B) <strong>and</strong> t<strong>hr</strong>eatened habitats (Criterion C).IPAs provide an essential resource for governments to assess their progress <strong>in</strong> fulfill<strong>in</strong>gTarget 5 of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) Global Strategy for PlantConservation, <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 ButterflyAreas, Important Dragonfly Areas <strong>and</strong> Important Herpetological Areas <strong>and</strong> contribute tothe 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 2000Network of the EU Habitats Directive. Of the 510 IPAs <strong>in</strong> the new member states, 399IPAs 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. Insouth <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. IPAprojects are also be<strong>in</strong>g developed <strong>in</strong> many other countries <strong>in</strong> Europe <strong>and</strong> other regionsof the world.This report conta<strong>in</strong>s a summary of IPA methodology, the latest IPA data from twelvecountries on site features, t<strong>hr</strong>eats, management <strong>and</strong> protection, a summary of the l<strong>in</strong>ksto exist<strong>in</strong>g legislation <strong>and</strong> programmes, <strong>and</strong> recommendations for <strong>plant</strong> conservationstakeholders. Detailed national IPA <strong>in</strong>ventories will be published <strong>in</strong> 2005 by the sevenpartner 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>dividualsfrom academic <strong>in</strong>stitutions, state conservation agencies, <strong>and</strong> non-governmentalorganisations.The Carpathian Mounta<strong>in</strong>s conta<strong>in</strong> a largenumber of IPAs across <strong>central</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>eastern</strong>Europe such as the High Tatras ofSlovakia, shown here.7