Descrizione

Biodiversity is concentrated in a handful of areas of our planet known as hotspots, which together cover just 3% of the Earth’s land surface. The Mediterranean is one of the world’s leading hotspots, home to more than 25,000 taxa of vascular plants, around half of which are endemic. Within this context, Sardinia stands out as a mesohotspot for the exceptional richness and distinctiveness of its flora: with 2,464 species across 24,089 km², its floristic density is almost five times that of Papua New Guinea. Its endemic flora comprises 343 plants, roughly 14% of the island’s native flora. This is the starting point for the present volume, the first comprehensive guide to Sardinia’s endemic vascular flora written for a general readership, and published in both Italian and English. Its aim is to raise awareness among communities and institutions of the importance of conserving this unique natural heritage, and of our shared responsibility to hand it on to future generations.