Threatened plants in Peninsular and Balearic Spain: A report based on the EU Habitats Directive Original Research Article

Following Appendix II from the EU Habitats Directive, the distribution and conservation status of 102 plant species in mainland Spain and Balearic Islands were studied. Distribution data from herbarium and bibliographic sources were collected. Field work for the 78 taxa with the most restricted distributions was undertaken in order to improve the knowledge of their populations, distribution limits and possible threats. Some extreme examples of species with very low number of individuals or very narrow areas of occupancy are pointed out. Natural causes and land development are stressed as the most important factors of threat. Changes in the assignment of IUCN categories are proposed for some plants. Using the distribution data of these 102 plants, geographical and ecological patterns are discussed, identifying Sierra Nevada as an enclave with the largest number of threatened taxa. Inconsistencies between previous Red Lists of endangered Spanish plants and the Habitats Directive are indicated, and some guidelines for plant conservation in Spain are proposed.