Mosses – European Conference on Bryophytes Conservation

From 19 to 22 May 2026, the 11th Conference of the European Committee for Bryophyte Conservation (ECCB) took place at the Botanical Garden of Cagliari, Sardinia.

The event was organized by Annalena Cogoni, Coordinator of Bryology Working Group of the Italian Botanical Society, Associate Professor at the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences (Botany Section) and Director of the Botanical Garden of the University of Cagliari, in collaboration with Eurac Research.

Silvia Poponessi, currently a researcher at the Institute for Alpine Environment and responsible for the cryptogam component of Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol (BMS) surveys, served on both the Scientific Committee and the Organizing Committee.

The conference addressed a wide range of scientific topics, including the identification of significant bryophyte areas, the ecological dynamics of bryophyte species, their dispersal patterns and habitats, and the implementation of conservation strategies for threatened species.

The congress brought together 80 bryology experts from across Europe. Among the invited speakers was Christian Berg, botanist and researcher at the University of Graz (Karl Franzens University Graz, Austria), who presented his work as co-editor and co-author of the reference volume Moosflora von Österreich (2025).

The field excursions organized during the conference took participants to sites of exceptional bryophyte diversity, including Giara di Gesturi, Parco Laconi, and the Marganai Forest.