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LIFE - SEEDFORCE

Using SEED banks to restore and reinFORCE the endangered native plants of Italy
Classification: 
international research
Programme: 
Other UE programmes
Call: 
LIFE20 NAT/IT/001468
Main ERC field: 
Life Sciences
Unict role: 
Partner
Duration (months): 
63
Start date: 
Friday, October 1, 2021
End date: 
Thursday, December 31, 2026
Total cost: 
€ 7.790.685,00
Unict cost: 
€ 951.474,00
Coordinator: 
MUSE - Museo delle Scienze di Trento
Principal investigator in Unict: 
Prof.ssa Antonia Cristaudo
University department involved: 
Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences
Participants: 
  • Conservatoire botanique national méditerranéen de Porquerolles, France
  • Università di Udine, Italy
  • Università di Padova - Centro di Ateneo Orto Botanico, Italy
  • Ente Parco Nazionale della Majella, Italy
  • Università di Roma "La Sapienza" - Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Italy
  • Università di Cagliari, Italy
  • Parco Monte Barro, Italy
  • Università di Genova, Italy
  • Università di Palermo, Italy
  • Università della Tuscia - Dipartimento dei Scienze Ecologiche e Biologiche, Italy
  • Legambiente ONLUS, Italy
  • University of Malta, Malta
  • University of Ljubljana - Biotechnical faculty, Botanic garden, Slovenia

Abstract

LIFE SEEDFORCE is a European project, which will contribute to improving the conservation status of 29 plant species of Union interest, thanks to a conservation approach mixing both ex situ and in situ strategies.

It will concretely act within 76 SACs/SCIs in 3 biogeographical regions (Alpine, Mediterranean and Continental) of Italy, France, Slovenia, and Malta. The target species include 17 Italian endemics and 10 priority species, i.e., species for which the European Union has a particular responsibility, due to the importance of their distribution range, so that specific conservation measures may be implemented more rapidly.