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Volume 13
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10.3390/land13020133
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Article

Assessing the Vulnerability of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants to Climate and Land-Use Changes in a Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot

by
Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis
1,
Maria Tsakiri
1,
Ioannis P. Kokkoris
1,
Panayiotis Trigas
2,
Gregoris Iatrou
1,
Fotini N. Lamari
3,
Dimitris Tzanoudakis
1,
Eleni Koumoutsou
1,
Panayotis Dimopoulos
1,
Arne Strid
4 and
Maria Panitsa
1,*
1
Laboratory of Botany, Department of Biology, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece
2
Laboratory of Systematic Botany, Department of Crop Science, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
3
Laboratory of Pharmacognosy & Chemistry of Natural Products, Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece
4
Independent Researcher, Bakkevej 6, DK-5853 Ørbæk, Denmark
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Land 2024, 13(2), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020133
Submission received: 25 November 2023 / Revised: 17 January 2024 / Accepted: 19 January 2024 / Published: 24 January 2024
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Abstract

Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAPs) play a critical role in providing ecosystem services through their provision of herbal remedies, food and natural skin care products, their integration into local economies, and maintaining pollinators’ diversity and populations and ecosystem functioning. Mountainous regions, such as Chelmos-Vouraikos National Park (CVNP), represent unique reservoirs of endemic MAP diversity that require conservation prioritisation. This study aims to provide insights into the sustainable management of MAPs, contributing to efforts to protect Mediterranean biodiversity amid the dual challenges of climate and land-use change, using a suite of macroecological modelling techniques. Following a Species Distribution Modelling framework, we investigated the vulnerability of endemic and non-endemic MAPs to climate and land-use changes. We examined the potential shifts in MAP diversity, distribution, and conservation hotspots within the CVNP. Our results revealed species-specific responses, with endemic taxa facing severe range contractions and non-endemic taxa initially expanding but eventually declining, particularly under land-use change scenarios. Local biodiversity hotspots are projected to shift altitudinally, with considerable area losses in the coming decades and elevated species turnover predicted throughout the CVNP, leading to biotic homogenization. Climate and land-use changes jointly threaten MAP diversity, calling for adaptive conservation strategies, thus highlighting the importance of proactive measures, such as awareness raising, establishing plant micro-reserves, assisted translocation, and promoting sustainable harvesting to protect these species within the CVNP. Our study offers vital insights for managing biodiversity hotspots amid global change pressures, stressing the need to integrate ecological and socioeconomic factors.
Keywords: biodiversity conservation; conservation prioritization; ecosystem services; extinction risk; Greece; Species Distribution Modelling biodiversity conservation; conservation prioritization; ecosystem services; extinction risk; Greece; Species Distribution Modelling

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MDPI and ACS Style

Kougioumoutzis, K.; Tsakiri, M.; Kokkoris, I.P.; Trigas, P.; Iatrou, G.; Lamari, F.N.; Tzanoudakis, D.; Koumoutsou, E.; Dimopoulos, P.; Strid, A.; et al. Assessing the Vulnerability of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants to Climate and Land-Use Changes in a Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot. Land 2024, 13, 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020133

AMA Style

Kougioumoutzis K, Tsakiri M, Kokkoris IP, Trigas P, Iatrou G, Lamari FN, Tzanoudakis D, Koumoutsou E, Dimopoulos P, Strid A, et al. Assessing the Vulnerability of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants to Climate and Land-Use Changes in a Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot. Land. 2024; 13(2):133. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020133

Chicago/Turabian Style

Kougioumoutzis, Konstantinos, Maria Tsakiri, Ioannis P. Kokkoris, Panayiotis Trigas, Gregoris Iatrou, Fotini N. Lamari, Dimitris Tzanoudakis, Eleni Koumoutsou, Panayotis Dimopoulos, Arne Strid, and et al. 2024. "Assessing the Vulnerability of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants to Climate and Land-Use Changes in a Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot" Land 13, no. 2: 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020133

APA Style

Kougioumoutzis, K., Tsakiri, M., Kokkoris, I. P., Trigas, P., Iatrou, G., Lamari, F. N., Tzanoudakis, D., Koumoutsou, E., Dimopoulos, P., Strid, A., & Panitsa, M. (2024). Assessing the Vulnerability of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants to Climate and Land-Use Changes in a Mediterranean Biodiversity Hotspot. Land, 13(2), 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/land13020133

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