{"id":22992,"date":"2023-10-22T06:00:59","date_gmt":"2023-10-22T06:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rotavicentina-blog.miewstudio.com\/?p=22992"},"modified":"2025-04-10T15:05:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T15:05:55","slug":"flora-rota-vicentina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/flora-rota-vicentina\/","title":{"rendered":"Endemic, rare, and threatened Flora of Rota Vicentina"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_custom_heading]Flora biodiversity in the Southwest of Portugal<\/span>[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]Alentejo and Vicentina Coast Natural Park (PNSACV) is a nationally and internationally recognized biodiversity hotspot due to its diverse landscapes and ecosystems.<\/p>\n

Located in the southwestern part of the European continent, this territory is delimited by a continuous chain of mountains (from the Serra do Cercal to the Serra de Monchique).<\/p>\n

This refuge condition, where numerous species survived during the last glaciation, has contributed to the presence of a large number of endemic, rare, and threatened species, some of which are found exclusively in this coastal strip.<\/p>\n

During volunteer activities on Rota Vicentina Walking Trails, numerous species classified as RELAPE* (Rare, Endemic, Localized, Threatened, or Endangered Plants) have been mapped.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The presence of these plants attests to the importance of preserving these priority ecosystems of great natural value.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”22962″][\/vc_single_image][vc_column_text]Through the records of the Flora-on<\/strong>** platform, we have been able to identify a total of 53 species classified as threatened<\/strong> in this territory, encompassing the categories*** of Vulnerable<\/strong>, Endangered<\/strong>, and Critically Endangered<\/strong>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”22998″ media_link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Flistavermelha-flora.pt|target:_blank”]*RELAPE species<\/strong> is a designation used to refer to all rare, endemic, localized, threatened, or endangered plant species. This platform is constantly updated and serves, among other things, as a practical way to identify plant species of Portuguese flora. <\/em><\/p>\n

**Flora-on<\/strong> – an online platform launched in 2012, created by the Portuguese Society of Botany, where photographic, geographic, morphological, and ecological information of native or naturalized plant species in mainland Portugal, Azores, and Madeira is systematized. This platform is constantly updated and serves, among other things, as a practical way to identify plant species of Portuguese flora. <\/em><\/p>\n

*** Categories of extinction risk<\/strong> – defined by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) based on precise criteria that serve as a reference for all countries, allowing for a technical and reliable assessment of species conservation status and the production of highly detailed inventories, known as “Red Lists”.<\/em>[\/vc_single_image][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=”h3″ text_size=”h3″]On Walking Trails of Rota Vicentina[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]During volunteering activities, trail maintenance and field visits, the team from Rota Vicentina Association and its volunteers have already recorded at least 12 of these species, even without actively searching for them.<\/p>\n

This territory is very vast, and we can find more “typical” species for each trail.<\/p>\n

In the case of the Fishermen’s Trail<\/strong><\/a>, which mostly follows the coastline, we can find the presence of species such as:<\/p>\n