Is the endangered flora of the Iberian southeast adequately protected? Gaps in the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia (RENPA): the case of the province of Almería

Abstract

The province of Almería presents a mosaic of ecological conditions which has given rise to an extremely rich natural patrimony. Combining a number of criteria aiming at the preservation of endangered species with chorologi- cal information is an efficient way of determining the floristically valuable areas at a regional level. Our research aims at defining the most valuable sites in Almería as far as flora is concerned in order to subsequently compare the results with the Network of Protected Natural Areas of Andalusia (RENPA). We have taken as our fundamental reference a very detailed and geo—referenced data base with all the catalogued taxa occurring in Almería. The implementation both of several algorithms for the automatic selection of natural reserves and of the indexes of Importance and Responsibility provides a set of solutions comparable with the RENPA proposals. Our results reveal that there are still unprotected enclaves with species whose conservation is crucial if we wish to safeguard the highest degree of diversity. A network of micro—reserves would help not only to protect these extremely valuable botanical areas but also to bring their importance to the attention of the general public.