Abstract
Standardised long-term biodiversity monitoring schemes, based on repeated visits to fixed sites, offer the possibility of comparing biodiversity in space and time, while avoiding most of the biases associated with opportunistic data, particularly when the monitored sites are a representative (random) sample of ecosystems. When information on abundance is collected, standardized monitoring enables the detection of subtle temporal changes in populations, species and communities.
In France, Vigie-flore is such a standardized monitoring scheme targeting wild flora launched in 2009, involving amateur and professional botanists to survey plant communities across all habitat types. The monitoring data have revealed an ongoing, nationwide reshuffling of plant communities in response to climate change, but also a decline of common insect-pollinated species over the last decade, with consequences for community composition. These studies contribute to highlighting rapid changes in wild flora on a national scale and identifying plausible mechanisms. We will discuss the direct implications for conservation and the perspectives of this plant monitoring scheme.
