Monitoring lichen diversity in Liguria: Critical notes on conservation planning

A proper conservation plan for epiphytic lichens should take into account peculiar characteristics of these organisms and detailed informations about their distribution are needed. Bibliographic data and herbarium specimens are not sufficient to estimate rarity and vulnerability levels: they should be defined on the basis of probabilistic monitoring. In this work, some examples are provide to show how different methods for estimating Ligurian distribution of epiphytic lichens lead to different evaluations of conservation priorities. Further, main limits and advantages of these methods and urgent conservation strategies for lichens in Liguria are discussed.