The Congress consists of four days, with Scientific sessions that focus on the main Botanical themes and include one plenary conference, two round tables, a poster session, one special event on topics of significant Botanical-social impact and major issues of public interest.
Registration is required. Click here for your registration.
- Tuesday 19 September
h 10:00 -18:00 – Meetings of the Scientific commissions of OPTIMA (Palermo, Section of Botany of the Department STEBICEF)
h18:00 - 15:00 – Bus transfer to Erice - Wednesday 20 September (Erice)
h 9:00 – Welcoming of the participants and registration (Instituto San Rocco)
h 9:0o – Joint Meetings of the Executive Council and International Board of OPTIMA (restricted, Instituto San Rocco)
h 11:30 – Opening Ceremony followed by the Plenary conference – K. H. C. Başer (Nicosia, Cyprus): Essential oils: science, technology, and applications, yesterday and today (Auditoriun Pam Dirac)
h 14:30 – Symposium 1 – Palazzo Sales - Mediterranean refugia: importance for plant conservation.
Chairs: F. Médail (Marseille, France), M. Fennane (Rabat, Morocco)
h 14:30 – Symposium 2 – Instituto San Rocco- Taxonomy, ecology and conservation of Mediterranean fungi, lichens and bryophytes.
Chairs: M. Ros (Murcia, Spain), G. Venturella (Palermo, Italy), P. Campisi (Palermo, Italy), [S. Ravera (Palermo, Italy)
h 20:00 – Welcome cocktail - Thursday 21 September (Erice)
h 9:00 – Symposium 3 – Palazzo Sales - Biosystematics in the Mediterranean area 1.
Chairs: K. Marhold (Bratislava, Slovak Republic), C. Oberprieler (Regensburg, Germany), L. Peruzzi (Pisa, Italy), P. Bareka (Athens, Greece)
h 9:00– Symposium 4 – Instituto San Rocco- Taxonomy, ecology and conservation of Mediterranean marine and freshwater algae.
Chairs: A. M. Mannino (Palermo, Italy), C. Rodriguez-Prieto (Girona, Spain), M. Cantonati (Bologna, Italy)
h 14:30 – Symposium 5 – Palazzo Sales - Biosystematics in the Mediterranean area 2.
Chairs: K. Marhold (Bratislava, Slovak Republic), C. Oberprieler (Regensburg, Germany), L. Peruzzi (Pisa, Italy), P. Bareka (Athens, Greece)
h 14;30 – Symposium 6 – Instituto San Rocco- Ecosystems restoration and species conservation.
Chairs: J. M. Iriondo (Madrid, Spain), P. Marino (Palermo, Italy)
h 18:00 – Roundtable – Palazzo Sales – World Flora Online, Euro+Med, APD, inaturalist, efloraMaghreb, how to get ahead, how to structure the synergies with databases.
Chair: C. Chatelain (Genéve, Switzerland) - Friday 22 September (Erice)
h 9:00 – Symposium 7 – Instituto San Rocco – Herbaria and the understanding of Mediterranean plant diversity: past, present and future.
Chairs: M. Carine (London, U.K.), G. Domina (Palermo, Italy)
h 9:00 – Symposium 8 – Palazzo Sales - Useful plants in the Mediterranean Countries.
Chairs: K. H. C. Başer (Nicosia, Cyprus), G. Malfa (Catania, Italy), E. Kožuharova (Sofia, Bulgaria)
h 11:00 – Symposium 9 – Palazzo Sales - Health Benefits of Wild Mediterranean Plants.
Chairs: K. H. C. Başer (Nicosia, Cyprus), R. Acquaviva (Catania, Italy), V. Spadaro (Palermo, Italy)
h14:30 – Poster Session - Instituto San Rocco.
h 16:30 – Roundtable – Auditorium Pam Dirac- Plant diversity and restoration of the historic garden «Giardino del Balio» (Erice) and presentation of the project for its restoration [financed by the Italian Ministry of Culture with funds from the PNRR].
Chair: J. Wade (Cernobbio, Italy)
h 20:00 – Congress Dinner (Erice) - Saturday 23 September (Erice)
h 9:00 – Symposium 10 – Instituto San Rocco - Crop Wild Relatives in the Mediterranean countries.
Chairs: B. Valdès (Sevilla, Spain), A. Giovino (Palermo, Italy), M. Rejdali (Temara, Morocco)
h 9:00 – Symposium 11 – Palazzo Sales – Invasive plants and their impact in Mediterranean countries.
Chairs: O. Vasic (Beograd, Serbia), F.M. Raimondo (Palermo, Italy)
h 15:00 – Special Event – Ancient forests in the National Park of Aspromonte (south Italy): The beech forest of « Valle Infernale » UNESCO Heritage Site – Palazzo Sales.
h 16:00 – Closing Ceremony and General meeting of OPTIMA – Palazzo Sales
h 18:15 – Bus transfer to Palermo
h 20:00 – Farewell Cocktail - Sunday 24 September (Erice)
h 8:00 – Post-Meeting excursion to the Natural Reserve Isole dello Stagnone di Marsala: Mothia and Isola Grande
h17:00 – Bus transfer to Palermo
Registration is required. Click here for your registration.
