Riparian zones are the paragon of transitional ecosystems, providing critical habitat and ecosystem services that are especially threatened by global change. Following consultation with experts, 10 key challenges were identified to be addressed for riparian vegetation science and management improvement: (1) Create a distinct scientific community by establishing stronger bridges between disciplines; (2) Make riparian vegetation more visible and appreciated in society and policies; (3) Improve knowledge regarding biodiversity—ecosystem functioning links; (4) Manage spatial scale and context‐based issues; (5) Improve knowledge on social dimensions of riparian vegetation; (6) Anticipate responses to emergent issues and future trajectories; (7) Enhance tools to quantify and prioritize ecosystem services; (8) Improve numerical modeling and simulation tools; (9) Calibrate methods and increase data availability for better indicators and monitoring practices and transferability; and (10) Undertake scientific validation of best management practices. These challenges are discussed and critiqued here, to guide future research into riparian vegetation.This article is categorized under: Water and Life > Nature of Freshwater Ecosystems Water and Life > Stresses and Pressures on Ecosystems Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness

Basic patterns of most priority biodiversity areas of Kosovo that shall be considered for conservation studies are offered here. On this work, all plant taxa that are included in the Kosovarian Red list are analysed and their analogy is interpreted to conservation priority hotspots. Kosovo represents an important centre for Balkan biodiversity; therefore a quantitative evaluation of the importance of different priority areas for conserving plant diversity of Kosovo is very much needed. This study provides a detailed quantitative approach concerning the identification of priority areas for biodiversity conservation, using threatened and endangered plant taxa in well-known grid squares system. Used grid squares (20 × 20 km) were classified into four different groups in terms of their conservation importance. Valuation factors taken into account are IUCN based risk category, endemism as well as ecological and distributional attributes. The results indicated that there are four grid squares – D4 (0.4300), G7 (0.3910), G8 (0.2750) and E4 (0.2860), that have remarkable conservation importance. These grid squares are all located along mostly high-elevation areas of two National Parks in Kosovo. These national scale data should prove to be very appropriate and easy to follow evidence for environmental decision-making bodies as well as be used for further research.

Kosovo, located at the intersection of continental, alpine and sub-Mediterranean climatic influences, represents a biogeographical transition zone with high ecological complexity. In this study, three different biogeographical regions are delineated - the continental, the alpine and the sub-Mediterranean region - using an integrative approach combining vegetation, climate and topography. By using updated vegetation mapping, standardized environmental data and K-means clustering, the study shows the spatial organization of vegetation alliances along altitudinal and climatic gradients. The continental region, which covers the widest area, is characterized by temperate deciduous forests and riparian ecosystems, while the alpine region has resilient high mountain vegetation adapted to extreme conditions. The sub-Mediterranean region, which is influenced by Adriatic-Ionian and Aegean climatic elements, is home to thermophilic forests and Mediterranean flora. The transition zones observed between the regions highlight the dynamic interplay of environmental factors that shape Kosovo's biodiversity. This research provides a fundamental framework for conservation planning and biogeographic studies in the Balkans and emphasizes the importance of integrating abiotic and biotic variables in regional classification.

Sixteen endemic plant taxa were selected from Kosovo, according to the IUCN standards and for each taxon the risk assessment and threat category has been assigned. The taxa were compared with their previous status from fifteen years ago. From sixteen plant taxa, which were included in this work, four are Balkan endemics, whereas, eight of them are local endemics and four of the taxa are stenoendemics. Six of the taxa are grown exclusively on serpentine soils, five of them on limestone substrate, four of them in carbonate substrate, yet only one in silicate substrate. The work has been done based on the standard working methodologies of the IUCN (Guidelines for Using the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria – Version 8.1). The most threatened plant taxa is Solenanthus krasniqii – which after its observance has only 20 mature individuals. As a result of the wild collection of the medicinal and aromatic plants, from the local population, Sideritis scardica is about to be completely go extinct. The aim of this study was to assess the state of endemics in the threats possessed to them during the previous times, present and predicting the trends for the upcoming years.

With the aim of improving the floristic knowledge of Kosovo, here we present an inventory of the plant taxa recorded and collected between the March 2015 and September 2019, in the mountain massif of Luboten, Sharri Mts., SE Kosovo. Field surveys were conducted repeatedly for four years, on each vegetation season. With this work we aimed to provide detailed data concerning the vascular flora richness and distributional patterns. Floristic samples were studied in all representative habitats and sites, concerning climate, exposition, altitude and bedrock composition. This research led to the identification of a total 853 plant taxa of vascular plants, belonging to 354 genera and 93 families. Among these taxa, 82 are Balkan endemics and 53 are included into the Red Book of Vascular Flora of Kosovo. Out of them, 4 are critically endangered, 16 endangered, 3 vulnerable, 8 near threatened and 22 least concern. On the basis of the available floristic literature, 2 plant taxa are found to be new for Kosovo: Bromopsis cappadocica subsp. cappadocica and Pilosella macrotricha. At a national scale, we have found new distribution records for 17 taxa and additionally for 2 plant taxa: Ranunculus fontanus and Sesleria wettsteinii, conservation suggestions are provided. All natural habitats were classified according to EUNIS and their floristic richness is herein provided. Furthermore, the corresponding EUNIS habitat(s) for each taxon of where it was recorded to be growing are also indicated.

In restoration projects, low stock grazing has become a popular means of management. However, an accurate understanding of the effects of grazing on plants and spiders is often lacking. Although spiders and plants are not closely related evolutionarily or genetically, the relationship between them can be complex and diverse. Many species of spider build their webs or nests on plants, using the leaves, stems, or flowers as anchoring points. This provides them with protection from predators, access to prey and a stable habitat. On the other hand, spiders can provide a number of benefits to grassland ecosystems, such as helping to control populations of insects and other arthropods that can damage or consume grassland plants. This study addresses the effects of different grazing regimes on plant and spider diversity in siliceous grasslands. Plant and spider diversity was studied for four months in the Sharri Mountains (Kosovo) in order to determine the biodiversity in ungrazed, moderately grazed and overgrazed siliceuous grasslands. The responses of plant height, plant biomass, plant species diversity and spider species diversity to three grazing intensities at 12 sites were recorded. Vegetation structure (plant height and plant biomass) was significantly higher in ungrazed grasslands compared to grazed and overgrazed grasslands. This was not the case, however, for spider species richness and diversity, as these were higher in moderately grazed than ungrazed grassland. On overgrazed grasslands, spider diversity was extremely low, as only one species of spider (Pardosa saltuaria) was recorded. Plant and spider diversity increased in the following order: overgrazed grasslands < ungrazed grasslands < moderately grazed grasslands, in all the habitats studied. Different grazing intensities significantly affected the abundance of particular plants on siliceous grasslands, for example, Deschampsia cespitosa, one of the most dominant plants on siliceous grasslands had an abundance of 4.77% in ungrazed grasslands., but only 4.94% in moderately grazed grasslands and was absent in overgrazed grasslands. There were other species of plants that were most abundant in intensively grazed silicate grasslands. One of them was Nardus stricta, whose percentage in ungrazed, moderately grazed and overgrazed grasslands was characterized by a multiple exponential increase in % (s1 – ungrazed grasslands = 0.99%, s2 – moderately grazed grasslands = 1.25% and s3 – overgrazed grasslands = 10.50%). It is concluded that the intensity of grazing of natural grasslands directly affects biodiversity and that this information may be valuable for long-term management and conservation programs in similar habitats in SE Europe and beyond.