The Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona is joining the international CostaFlora project, an initiative funded by the European Interreg POCTEFA programme that aims to improve knowledge and conservation of the most threatened plant species found in the dunes and cliffs of the Catalan-Occitan coastline in the face of climate change, human pressure and the spread of invasive species. With a total budget of €953,349.85, including €619,677.38 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the initiative will run for 36 months, until April 2029.
Researchers Neus Ibáñez and Neus Nualart, curators of the Herbarium, will lead the Museum’s contribution to the project, which is coordinated by the Université Perpignan Via Domitia (UPVD) and also brings together the Fédération des réserves naturelles catalanes (FRNC),, the Universitat de Barcelona (UB and the Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF).. The initiative unites research institutions and public authorities on both sides of the border to develop shared strategies for protecting the most vulnerable coastal habitats.
The Museum’s work will focus on three main areas. First, it will promote citizen science and public engagement activities to raise awareness of the ecological value of dunes and cliffs and of the need to protect the species that inhabit them. It will also contribute to the control and removal of invasive alien species, one of the main threats to coastal flora.
Finally, the Museum team will contribute to the genomic study of Stachys maritima, one of Catalonia’s most threatened dune plants, with the aim of generating knowledge to guide future strategies for strengthening and conserving its populations. This work will be complemented by the conservation of seeds from threatened species in the Museum’s germplasm bank, coordinated by Míriam Aixart, helping to preserve their genetic diversity and support long-term conservation efforts.
Stachys maritima. Fagus, CC BY-SA 4.0
“CostaFlora builds on the work carried out through the LIFE medCLIFFS project, which focused on conserving the cliff flora of the Costa Brava, while expanding its scope to the entire Catalan-Occitan coastline. This cross-border dimension allows us to share knowledge and methodologies to protect species and habitats that do not recognise administrative boundaries,” explains Neus Ibáñez.
According to Neus Nualart, “the combination of genomic research, land management and citizen participation is one of the project’s greatest strengths. Flora conservation will only be effective if it is supported by sound scientific knowledge and by a society that appreciates the value of these highly fragile habitats.”
The Museum’s participation in CostaFlora reinforces its commitment to Mediterranean biodiversity and builds on its long-standing expertise in research supporting plant conservation, with a particular focus on threatened species, invasive alien species and the impacts of climate change on coastal ecosystems.
CostaFlora is co-funded (65%) by the European Union through the Interreg VI-A Spain-France-Andorra Programme (POCTEFA 2021–2027). POCTEFA aims to strengthen the economic and social integration of the Spain-France-Andorra border region.
