The Mediterranean flora in the context of world biodiversity

The author deals with the great importance of plant biodiversity in the Mediterranean region and other regions of Mediterranean climate and vegetation on a world scale. The characteristics of the regions of Mediterranean climate (Mediterranean Basin, North Africa, California, Australia, Chile) are first described in terms of variations in climatic -edaphic conditions, floristics, the total numbers of species and the endemism percentage, and the effects of human activities on vegetation. Then, problems of assessing the richness of the floras are stressed by comparing the different systems of taxonomy used in different countries. The great interest of the island floras, which contain many endemic taxa, is pointed out before drawing conclusions about the lessons to be learned from the Mediterranean floras for other parts of the world.