Botanica Sudalpina
26-27 March 2021
New dates!
More information soon!
Franklin University, Lugano (Sorengo)
Updates
- 26.10.2020
- The conference is postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19.
COVID-I9 INFO
Registration is closing at a time when there is still great uncertainty. Although the health crisis related to COVID-19 persists, the situation in Canton Ticino and current national and cantonal directives allow the organization of the conference to continue. To help address the situation, the entire conference will take place at Franklin University Switzerland (FUS) where larger rooms and halls allow us to meet social distance requirements for the nearly 100 participants. The conference will follow the COVID-19 protection plan in place at FUS, as stated in its own protection plan (see below). Participants will have to bring a mask with them to the conference and wear it as required on site. Other specific guidelines will be communicated directly to participants by email. In the worst-case scenario where it is no longer permitted to execute the conference as planned, we will consider other options.
PDF of conference protection plan (soon available)
Second
edition
Botanica Sudalpina Conference is in its second edition. It first took place in 2017 at the initiative of the Botanical Society of Ticino and has been made possible thanks to the collaboration of the Natural History Museum of Canton Ticino and Franklin University Switzerland, as well as the financial support of Info Flora, the Society of Natural Sciences of Cantone Ticino, and the Association Botanic Garden Islands of Brissago.
The event aims to serve as a platform for meeting and exchange among all those involved in scientific research (fundamental and applied) on the flora of the Southern Alps and, in particular, of Canton Ticino. It also aims to promote collaboration, provide an overview of the current situation, and eventually outline priorities and future prospects. The conference welcomes scientific work examining biogeography, conservation, diversity, ecology, evolution, physiology, floristics, and systematics of native and neophyte plant species. Anyone interested in these topics can submit an abstract or simply be part of the audience.
The 2020 (now 2021) conference will offer an even richer program than the first. In particular, some satellite events will be offered on the day preceding the main conference, while some local field trips will mark the end of the event.
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Guest speakers
Willy Tinner
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research and Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern.
Prehistoric land-use change and its long-term legacy for future European vegetation dynamics.
Prehistoric land-use change and its long-term legacy for future European vegetation dynamics.
Prof. Dr. Willy Tinner
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research and Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern
Legacies comprise human and ecological memories or carryover of the ecosystem, they are effects of past events that influence extant ecosystems. In this lecture we consider four legacy examples that have wide consequences for European vegetation and its services to the society. First, we discuss if climate change, specifically the interglacial-glacial cycles have created empty niches in Europe, making the continent particularly susceptible to invasions of plant species coming from continents that are floristically more diverse. Second we assess the Vera hypothesis, a speculation that has been controversially debated in European ecosystem management. The question that can be checked by palaeoecological approaches is, whether (apart from the eastern steppes) European ecosystems would be naturally forested or kept open by megaherbivores such as elephants, hippos or ruminants. Third we discuss the course of biodiversity in and around the Alps, specifically the reasons and processes that shaped significant biodiversity declines in forests and biodiversity increases in open lands during the past 5000 years. Finally, we use palaeoecological and palaeoclimatic evidence as well as process-based dynamic modelling to address the question, whether humans changed the realized climatic niches of species during the past 5000 years, creating a continental disequilibrium of species distributions with current climatic conditions. On the basis of these four examples, we suggest the use of palaeo-validated process-based dynamic models to better assess future vegetation dynamics under global change conditions.
Simon Pierce
University of Milan, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Italy
What is the minimum viable population size for rare plant species?
What is the minimum viable population size for rare plant species?
Dr. Simon Pierce
University of Milan, Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Italy
Population size is a key parameter in conservation biology, and the number of individuals necessary for a population to persist over time is known as the ‘minimum viable population (MVP) size’. Calculating the MVP size for rare plant species can guide the planning of conservation actions and help understanding of whether conservation projects have been successful, but it is extremely difficult to determine what this number actually is. In the words of one conservationist, “how much is enough?”. Traditionally, MVP size has been estimated using computer models but, like weather forecasting, environmental variability over time cannot be predicted with certainty. Here, I suggest that a valuable approach may be to observe the biological effects evident in populations of different sizes in the wild. I show that a range of studies of reproductive effort (fruit and seed production) and genetic variability for rare and endangered plant species indicate that decreasing population size has a gradual effect until a critical point, beyond which any further decline in population size has a drastic impact on plant fitness. These ‘tipping points’ or ‘critical thresholds’ are not exactly the same thing as MVP size, but they do give a realistic indication of when populations are at particularly high risk. Usually, these tipping points occur when population size falls below around 50 to 500 individuals (depending on the species). Estimating tipping points for each species can show which populations are likely to respond positively to conservation actions.
Gabriele Carraro
Dionea SA, Locarno, Switzerland
The forest vegetation of the Onsernone Valley, 100 years ago, today and future trends.
The forest vegetation of the Onsernone Valley, 100 years ago, today and future trends.
Ing. forst. dipl. ETH Gabriele Carraro
Dionea SA, Locarno, Switzerland
It has been more than 100 years ago, that Johannes Bär studied and mapped the forest vegetation of the Onsernone valley (Ticino): rare, scientific work in our Alpine valleys, with great benefits for today’s understanding of evolutionary dynamics and for the management of forest ecosystems. For the comparison of the current state of vegetation with that of the past and for processing of future development scenarios, an updated mapping was required in addition to Bär’s map. A detailed mapping carried out solely by terrestrial surveys, in rough and partly inaccessible regions, which extends over 100 km2, is difficult and very costly. To overcome these difficulties, an alternative method was developed, based on existing terrestrial surveys and supplemented by trans-sectoral mapping over a total area of 10 km2. These assessments were the basis for an area-wide modelling using Random Forest Models. Considering the large number of forest types present in the valley (31), the model is able to forecast effectively. In an area with many newly formed forests, reliability of results could be increased by the evolutionary dynamics derived from historical maps. Hence, J. Bär’s map represents a valuable data set that contributes to a better understanding of the present vegetation distribution. Subsequently, results of the modelling and the quality of the forest vegetation map could be improved thanks to existing and additional terrestrial surveys and to the use of aerial photographs and drones for quality control. Based on these findings combined with contributions in the field of forest history, landscape studies, palynology and local climatic conditions, it was possible to reconstruct the dynamics of forest vegetation in the Onsernone valley with its evolutionary potential, considering also climate change scenarios.
Preliminary Program
FRIDAY 26 MARCH 2021
Franklin University of Switzerland, Lugano (Sorengo)
Workshop
Organizer: Dr. David Frey, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL and coordinator of fungi and lichen conservation, Canton Ticino, Switzerland.
Type of event: Short oral presentations and round-table discussion
The aim of this event is to provide an overview of cryptogam conservation initiatives in Switzerland, with a special focus on the Southern Alps. In addition, recent advances in the knowledge of cryptogam diversity and distribution will be presented. Conservation status (e.g. Red List) assessments of fungi, lichens and bryophytes are challenging. Challenges include poor knowledge of their distribution, taxonomic uncertainties and lack of experts. Thus, the short oral presentations and round-table discussion also serve as an exchange of ideas and experience on how to face these challenges, and to identify potential synergies in conservation among groups.
Cost for participants: free
Max. 30 participants, upon registration
Organizer: Christophe Bornand, Info Flora Bern, Switzerland.
Type of event: Introductory oral presentation with workshop
With this satellite event, you will discover the methods and tools developed by Info Flora since 2012 for the monitoring of threatened plant populations and how regional botanical communities can take part to the monitoring through the “Mission Flora” project. This meeting will also provide the opportunity to discuss how much attention should rare and/or threatened species receive during a floristic mapping project like a “new atlas” of the Swiss flora.
Cost for participants: free, upon registration
Organizer: Anna Probert and Giovanni Vimercati, University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
Type of event: Workshop
Alien species cause a range of different environmental impacts through a variety of mechanisms. Until recently, understanding and evaluating these impacts across taxa was relatively difficult due to a lack of a standardised metric that could be applied across different invasion scenarios. To address this knowledge gap, the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) was developed; this year, EICAT was adopted by the IUCN as an official classification system.
EICAT is a ranked classification scheme that works by assigning one of five impact magnitudes to individual records of impact collated from the literature. So far, the system has been applied to various taxa at both local and global scales, providing a key tool for invasion scientists, pest managers and other practitioners.
During this workshop, you will learn the key concepts of EICAT and then how to apply it using real impact records for various taxonomic groups. You will become equipped with the correct knowledge and understanding to apply EICAT under the IUCN standard.
Cost for participants: free
Max. 20 participants, upon registration
SATURDAY 27 MARCH 2021
Franklin University of Switzerland, Lugano (Sorengo)
SUNDAY 28 MARCH 2021
Organization
Organizing Committee
Scientific Committee
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