2009/01/18

Last meeting about the GENMEDA network

In the occasion of the Annual Seminar of Med program held in Marseille the 18th December 2008, partners of SEMCLIMED project who could attend it took the opportunity to talk about the future of the Mediterranean Seed bank Network, name GENMEDA. Previously to this meeting, the CIEF prepared as lead partner of SEMCLIMED, a poll concerning some questions in order to take into account all the opinions, mainly in the case of partners who could not assist to the meeting.

Thus, the opinions of the assistants -Myriam Virevaire and François Boillot (CBNMP), Miriam Aixart and Josep M. Montserrat (IJBB), Toni Marzo and Gloria Ortiz (CIEF)-, as well as of the results of the poll, allowed us to yield some conclusions:

Most of the partners from SEMCLIMED and GENMEDOC Interreg projects have expressed their willingness to go forward in our collaboration, even without European funding, in order to guarantee at least a minimal level of joint activities through the tools we have already set up as:

1) Two ore three annual editions in electronic version of the newsletter created by SEMCLIMED, Odissea Semina. This communication tool has proved its capacity to spread the news of the project and other conservation initiatives related and has been appreciated not only among the partnership but also by external contacts. The staff of the CIEF proposes to take on the management and financing of this activity in close collaboration with the other partners.
2) To maintain GENMEDOC and SEMCLIMED websites by transforming it in only one for GENMEDA network. The staff of CBNM will be disposed to take on the coordination of this tool. In this sense, it has been proposed by several partners to change of web services supplier because of the problems found until now with the current one and in order to make it more interactive and updated. Its cost, not too big, could be assumed without problems by the partnership.
3) One annual workshop, thematic if possible. The financing of this seminars could be done by sponsors and the own partners. A part from the travel expenses, it has been proposed to pay some participation fees in order to help the hosting partner with organisation expenses like coffee breaks, meals, materials, etc. These workshops will allow the partnership to meet, manage the network and propose new initiatives. In this sense, it has been proposed to choose cities accessible to most of partners at lower costs.
4) In order to consolidate and strength the network, it has been proposed to draw up some joint work lines, which won’t mean a supplementary work charge for partners and whose results will include the mention to GENMEDA network, as well as its logo.
5) The CIEF proposes to remake the GENMEDOC logo in order to create the GENMEDA one. Thus, the actual graphic style will be kept, as the current one is a kind of "know brand".
6) In order to coordinate the whole network, it has been proposed to set up a monitoring committee composed at least by a president, a secretary and a permanent member, democratically elected among partners. In this sense, as the secretariat will need some stability, the CBNM has shown their availability to undertake this task.
7) Last but not least, in order to formalise the network status, mainly concerning our public administrations, it has been proposed to draw up and sign an agreement between partners, similar to those of GENMEDOC and SEMCLIMED but without legal or financial commitments. This agreement will be a tool to show our intention to continue with joint activities and general collaboration. This solution seems the most appropriate as the current legal instruments do not fit with our situation and objectives.

2009/01/15

A recent article on Sardinian GENMEDOC results

The cellebrated scientific publication WEBBIA has recently edited an article of the Genmeda's Sardinian team, releasing the results of works made during the project GENMEDOC. The complete citation is as follows:
BACCHETTA, G., G. FENU & E. MATTANA. 2008. Studi di biologia della conservazione di sepcie vegetali endemiche della Sardegna nell'ambitodel progetto "GENMEDOC". Webbia 63(2): 293-307.
Interested researchers to obtain a copy please contact the Dr. Gianluigi Bacchetta team at the Centro Conservazione Biodiversità (
bacchet@unica.it)

2009/01/11

Registration opened for the 45 International Congress of SISV and FIP

The registration time for the International congress 'Biodiversity Hotspots in the Mediterranean Area: species, communities and landscape level' (Cagliari, Sardinia, 22-24 and 25-29 June 2009), organized by the Cemntro Conservazione Biodiversità -one of the member institutions of GENMEDA- is already opened. Registration fees will increase notably by 1st February, so interested people should register as soon as possible. For more information please visit http://www.biodiversityhotspots.it/indexen.htm

2009/01/06

Greetings for 2009

Since the GENMEDA blog we wish you all our best greetings for 2009

Greetings card sent by Dr. Costas Thanos (UNKA), with an image of the Lefka Ori Mts. (Crete, Greece), where the endemics Bupleurum kakiskalae and Nepeta sphaciotica grows. Near the lower right corner, the card includes images of the Cretan endemics Anthemis glaberrima.




Greetings card from the blogger, ©E. Laguna 09.09.2007, Cluj-Napoca (Rumanía)