Floristic heritage of the Mt. Cavallo path (Orobie Bergamasche Regional Park)

The identification of elements of special environmental interest occurring in protected areas is indispensable for a full valorisation of their resources. This is even more important in protected areas that have only recently been established, such as the Orobie Bergamasche Regional Park (Lombardy, Italy) (L.R. 15/9/1989 n. 56). This research reports the results of the analysis of the flora of the Mount Cavallo path (Fig. 1), a little-known and little-used area of the Orobie Bergamasche Park. The floristic census conducted, which led to the identification of 241 species, showed that the study area has a high number of endemic plants, some of which are endemic of Italy, including Linaria tonzigii Lona, Allium insubricum Boiss. & Reut. ex Reut., Campanula raineri Perp., Saxifraga vandellii Sternb., Galium baldense Spreng., and Saxifraga hostii Tausch subsp. rhaetica (A.Kern. ex Engl.) Braun-Blanq. Linaria tonzigii occurs only in the province of Bergamo where it has been reported in few locations. Moreover, it is also a species of Community interest included in Annex II of the Habitat Directive (92/43/EEC), but the study area is not part of a Site of Community Importance. In addition, some of the plant species identified in the study area are also rare (8%) and very rare (2%) in Central and Eastern Lombardy. The ecological spectrum of the floristic list shows that most of the species surveyed are heliophilous microthermal species living on basic, dry and nutrient-poor substrates. In fact, most of them are typical of rocky environment communities, limestone screes, and basophilous grasslands, although there are various species of Festucion variae localized in the short stretch in which the path is on acid substrate. Given the wealth and significance of the floristic heritage of the study area, as well as its unique geological and environmental characteristics, a proposal is presented for its valorisation, involving the construction of a nature trail: the "Mount Cavallo Botanical Path" (1). This research, presenting the distribution maps of the various endemic species along the path and the results of the chorological and ecological analyses of the local flora, provides the scientific background knowledge for the development of a project for the promotion and enhancement of one of the most interesting and beautiful areas of the Orobie Bergamasche Regional Park.