ECOlogical use of native PLANTs for environmental restoration and sustainable development in the MEDiterranean region
Project in brief _x000D_
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Besides being one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, the Mediterranean Basin is also considered amongst the four most significantly altered biodiversity hotspots of the planet. Many valuable native plants are threatened with _x000D_
extinction due to the degradation of their habitats and related environmental risks, which mainly originate from human activities. This inestimable natural heritage should therefore be protected and enhanced through the improvement of local actors management capacity in order to implement preventive measures able to combine economic purposes with ecological restoration. Combating the loss of biodiversity and promoting a sustainable development model in both sides of the Mediterranean is the challenge that ECOPLANTMED project intends to face. Local administrators will be encouraged to respect the commitments deriving from international conventions (such as the Convention on Biological Diversity) thanks to a common environmentally model significantly contributing to a joined development of the Mediterranean eco-region. _x000D_
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Specific objective _x000D_
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To promote the conservation, enhancement and sustainable use of native plants of the Mediterranean for ecological restoration of degraded habitats and for the development of new economic sectors by improving the management capacity of local actors