Latest Activities Implemented by the Native Flora Centre of Lombardy

Centro Flora Autoctona is involved in a number of projects aiming to preserve species diversity. Seed sampling, storing and analysis continues at the Lombardy Seed Bank or LSB (rare and threatened species, species endemic to Lombardy and species useful for environmental engineering). Some particular projects have the premise of identifying rare orchid species, collecting the seeds and developing methods of germination and/or cultivation ex-situ. The first plants obtained in this manner will be transplanted into soil next autumn, in order to allow development in nature and the reinforcement of local populations.

The Centro Flora Autoctona has been asked by some protected areas in Lombardy to produce local ecotypes of Calluna vulgaris to reinforce natural populations of the Alta Pianura Padana (the Upper Po Plain) which represent the most Southern European lowland heath lands, and are strongly threatened by human activities, invasion by competitive exotic species and global warming.

The Centro Flora Autoctona has also been involved by the Orobie Bergamasche Regional Park (Parco Regionale delle Orobie Bergamasche) in a project aiming to use native hayseed mixtures for the recovery of vegetation at high altitude. The CFA has collected hayseed from a number of mountain and sub-alpine grasslands in order to test both seed germination in lab and hydro-seeding at high altitude. Concurrently, experimental fields have been established for the ex-situ production of native species seed mixtures for environmental recovery purposes.