Ricerc@Sapienza

Aim: The EUNIS Habitat Classification is a widely used reference framework for European habitat types (habitats), but it lacks formal definitions of individual habitats that would enable their unequivocal identification. Our goal was to develop a tool for assigning vegetation-plot records to the habitats of the EUNIS system, use it to classify a European vegetation-plot database, and compile statistically-derived characteristic species combinations and distribution maps for these habitats. Location: Europe.

Although Albania’s territory is small, its natural heritage is characterized by a high diversity of ecosystems and
habitats and a considerable species richness. This diversity is attributable to the country’s geographic position
(at the interface of three important regions: the Balkans, the Mediterranean region and southern continental
Europe), as well as geological, hydrological, climatic, soil diversity, and a large altitudinal range. The study of
the vegetation of Albania begun, apart from a few pioneer works, in the late 1980s. However, only recently

A wetland is a complex ecosystem with high biodiversity; in some situations, the productivity of a wetland is comparable to those of a rain forest or coral reef. The stability of wetlands is under threat due to human activities. The study area of the work described here was Palo Laziale (Province of Rome), a characteristic Mediterranean woodland and wetland area in central Italy. Agricultural activities and urbanisation have considerably reduced this habitat.