Fróðskaparrit - 01.01.1999, Blaðsíða 153

SAUSSUREA ALPINA (L.) DC. SUBSP. ALPINA (ASTERACEAE) -
LOÐIN FJALLATISTIL: NÝGGJ SKRÁSETING ÚR FØROYUM
157
Discussion
The fact that Saussurea alpina hitherto has
been overlooked stresses the necessity of
further botanical research in the Faroe Is-
lands. The small population of the species
may indicate that it is a recent invader to the
Faroe Islands. An altemative explanation
may be that the few populations of Saus-
surea alpina found by the authors are the
last remnants of a former larger range in the
Faroe Islands. The species, therefore, may
be on the verge of extinction, perhaps due
to uncontrolled sheep grazing in the area or
other events. In either case, the discovery
of Saussurea alpina clearly underlines the
fact that unless active conservation mea-
sures are instituted this rare and threatened
plant may soon disappear. Lack of such
stringent conservation measures in the
Faroe Islands over the centuries may ex-
plain what has happened to a number of
other plant species that are now extremely
rare in the Faroese landscape, such as most
woody shrubs.
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Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Olof Ryding at the Botanical Museum,
Copenhagen, for confirming our species identification.
This paper is a part of the project: Vegetation zones in
relation to climatic parameters in some Faroese moun-
tains and ecological behaviour of selected plant species,
funded by the Danish Research Councils.