During the past decades, intensified land use has led to a significant decline in the species diversity of agricultural ecosystems. An organism group which is particularly affected by this change are arable plants.

Therefore, scientists and conservationists in different European regions have started to develop research and management programs to counteract this process. To stimulate international exchange of ideas and experiences from different regions, researchers from Technische Universität München, the Bavarian State Research Centre for Agriculture and the Project “100 Fields for Biodiversity” have organized a symposium on conservation and restoration of threatened arable plants.

The symposium will comprise presentations on current research and management activities, and excursions to sites where rare arable plants are restored or preserved in southern Bavaria. We particularly want to focus on research and management methods for innovative restoration and conservation of rare species and their habitats, including re-vitalisation of threatened populations. Keynote lectures by Henri Darmency (INRA, Dijon) and Phil Wilson (Wessex Environmental Associates) will show the recent development in arable plant conservation in France and England.

In addition to these keynote lectures, both oral presentations and posters are welcome. For contributions, please submit an abstract to the organization board of the symposium.