Where outside PAs?
The diversity of habitat types and land cover classes
that might be populated by CWR is relatively high
Sites outside PAs that aim at conserving CWR diversity in situ can be located using the same ecogeographic and gap analyses methods used for PAs, where CWR hotspots co-exist with existing land management regimes that are amenable for long-term target CWR maintenance. Such sites are often associated with weedy roadsides, field margins, orchards and even fields managed using traditional agro-silvicultural practices.
Habitat types and land cover classes
Habitat types (identified using the EUNIS or Natura 2000 classification) and land cover classes (identified using the Corine Land Cover classification) important for CWR diversity are often located outside existing PAs. This is because the occurrence of many CWR can be associated to marginal and transitional patches of habitats scattered in agricultural landscape, particularly in margins between arable or urbanized lands. Such plant communities have unclear syn-taxonomic position and therefore are often overlooked in habitat mapping surveys. Nevertheless, they can be one of the most important areas of biodiversity outside PAs.
