Relevant but neglected habitat types by the Directive 92/43 EEC in southern Italy

The 92/43/EEC Habitats Directive is the main European Union legal tool concerning nature conservation. The habitat types listed in Annex I to the Directive are phytosociology-based. It is widely acknowledged that phytosociological analysis is a crucial approach for habitats characterization and for monitoring their conservation status. Based on bibliographic investigations and new field survey campaigns, a list of habitat types neglected by the Habitats Directive is here presented and described for southern Italy. In this paper, 8 new habitat types and 13 subtypes are proposed. For each of these proposed new habitat types, a wide range of information, including ecology, chorology, species composition, syntaxonomy, threats, and conservation status, is here provided. To supply more detailed phytogeographical and coenological information about the proposed new habitat types, distribution maps based on 10 x 10 km reference grids and phytosociological tables including unpublished releves were carried out.

Automated summary

The 92/43/EEC Habitats Directive is an important EU legal tool for nature conservation, listing phytosociology-based habitat types. This study presents and describes neglected habitat types in southern Italy, proposing 8 new types and 13 subtypes. Detailed information on ecology, distribution, species composition, threats, and conservation status is provided for each proposed new habitat type, along with distribution maps and phytosociological tables.