Conservation & Research

The Sóller Botanic Garden plays an important role in the conservation of the plant biodiversity of the Balearic Islands. It is currently the largest contributor of biological diversity data, experience and collections of the vascular flora of the Mediterranean archipielago.

 

The main objective of conservating plant species is to maintain the viability of their natural populations. To do this, we apply in situ conservation techniques, in other words, we work directly in the plants ecosystems and natural habitats. The Sóller Botanic Garden is involved in the management of the different natural populations of species that are in danger of extinction, with the aim of helping them maintain themselves in their own ecosystems.

 

On the other hand, the conservartion work carried ex situ is the most important tool in biodiversity conservation strategy. In this field, the Sóller Botanic Garden has four outstanding collections: the live plant collections, the seed bank, the herbarium and the iconographic and bibliograohic collections.

 

The integrated conservation strategy coodinates the in situ and ex situ techniques and is particularly useful for putting into operation the conservation plans for the threatened species in the Balearic Islands.

 

Following the guidelines of this methodology, in the Sóller Botanic Garden we have undertaken different conservation plans for threatened Balearic species, such Ligusticum huteri, Medicago citrina, Limonium majoricum, Thymus herbabarona subsp. bivalens, Agrostis barceloi, Lavatera triloba subsp. pallescens, etc. All these are included in a list of taxons whose populations are considered to be in danger of extinction, according to the Balearic Islnads Vascular Species Red Book.