Celebrating 25 Years of Action for Biodiversity

Spain has the highest number of vascular plants — 8,000–9,000 species — among European and Mediterranean countries. Its rate of endemism is between 20 and 25 per cent [ ] 209 Spanish Inventory on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity The Spanish Inventory on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity is a key tool in the knowledge and planning of natural heritage and biodiversity, in conformity with Article 7 of the Convention. The main objective of this inventory is to provide objective, reliable and comparable information at the level of the Spanish State, from which the conservation, management and sustainable use policies can be drawn up and the biodiversity values disseminated. It also contributes as a source of information to meet the information requirements from inter- national commitments. Before implementation, informa- tion was available across various public administrations but, in many cases, in dispersed and heterogeneous forms and with difficulties in access. The development of the Spanish Inventory on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity () enables the organ- ization and harmonization of this information while contributing to significantly improving knowledge of biodiversity and natural heritage. The information included in the inventory is organized in an integrat- ed information system (Nature Data Bank) that allows its storage, analysis, integration, decision making, mon- itoring of indicators and dissemina- tion. From this platform, any user can access the alphanumeric, cartograph- ic, documentary and multimedia information available on the various components of the IEPNB. Official information on wild species in Spain is already available in an integrated database with online access. In addition, since 2009, a Spanish inventory report on natural heritage and biodiversity has been published annually, where information on status and trends is collected and analyzed. In the field of a coherent planning and management of protected areas, it is remarkable that, at present, the total area of protected spaces in Spain represents more than 30 per cent of the terrestrial territory and 12 per cent of the marine waters under national jurisdiction. The European Natura 2000 Net- work covers 27 per cent of Spanish territory and incorporates, as of June 2018, 1,467 Sites of Community Importance (SCI) of which 77 per cent already has management plans; and 647 Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPA), of which 66 per cent has a management plan. The Ma- rine Natura 2000 Network has also received a significant boost in recent years and currently includes 53 SCIs and 47 SPAs, with an area of almost 85,000 km 2 . llubí, Mallorca, Spain Spain T he great diversity of ecosystems that Spain harbours promotes a high diversity of plant and animal species. At least 54 per cent of the total number of known species in Europe is found in Spain, which makes it responsible for the conservation of the greater specific wealth of Western Europe. The taxonomic knowledge of biodiversity in Spain is broad: in terms of composition, there are around 91,000 terrestrial species and about 11,075 marine species. Stefan Kunze