Central European vascular plants requiring priority conservation measures - an analysis from national Red Lists and distribution maps

A joint analysis considering the world-wide distribution and threat status of Central European vascular plants was carried out to derive conservation priorities for threatened species. A list of 417 taxa is presented, which a re threatened throughout Central Europe and/or show a predominantly Central European distribution. As a first step, all plants mentioned in Central Eu ropean national Red Lists were included in a synoptic table, resulting in a total of 3255 taxa threatened or rare in at least one country. To select s pecies with a high conservation priority, two parameters were estimated: th reat status for Central Europe and a new category termed responsibility for the conservation of a species. As criteria for this second parameter, we u sed the proportion of Central Europe on the world range of a species, the p osition of Central Europe within this range, and its world-wide threat stat us. A simple category system including four responsibility categories is pr oposed. For all species selected, threat status and a responsibility assess ment for the whole of Central Europe is given, as well as position and prop ortion of Central Europe on their world range. By comparison of threat stat us and responsibility, this list provides a background for assessing nation al conservation priorities as well as for making decisions about inclusion in international conventions on species conservation. This was shown by a c omparison of the species selected using this approach with those included i n the two most important European instruments for species conservation - th e Berne Convention and the Habitats Directive.