OPTIMA Newsletter 38

O P T I M A N E W S L E T T E R O P T I M A N E W S L E T T E R O P T I M A N E W S L E T T E R
2004-2006. At the Commission meeting
held at the XI OPTIMA Meeting in Belgrade, this
Commission discussed the XII Iter Mediterraneum.
This expedition was originally to take place
in Libya in 2003. Plans had been going well, when
contact with the host country was suddenly lost
and the expedition had to be adjourned. Turkey
was suggested instead as a possible destination
for the XII Iter Mediterraneum, and Prof. Neriman
Özhatay from Istanbul University was tentatively
proposed as organiser. Another possibility was to
organise an expedition to the former Yugoslavia
or Albania with the aid of Dr. Vladimir Stevanović
from Belgrade. A third option mentioned was an
expedition to Sardinia.
The publication of the accounts of former
Itinera Mediterranea was also discussed. The first
four accounts had been published, but not the
other seven. Ways to speed up the process were
examined.
The Commission met in Pisa. It took note of
the promise that the material from Greece, still in
Patras, would be distributed before the end of
2007, and requested that Palermo produce labels
as soon as possible for all expeditions for which
the labelling was still pending. It noted that publication
of the results of past Itinera was increasingly
lagging behind, as for seven of them (to
Calabria, Morocco, Bulgaria, Armenia, S. France,
Greece, and W. Spain and Portugal) nothing had
happened so far. Therefore, the idea of devoting a
separate volume of Bocconea to the results of
each expedition was abandoned. Such results as
were obtained could be published in Flora
Mediterranea. As to future Itinera, small, underexplored
areas were seen as a priority, N. Africa
being the most interesting general target. Possible
destinations and organisers are being considered.
In the future material is to be labelled with provisional
(field) identifications, and distributed immediately.
There will be a single central database for
all Itinera, including those of the past, to be managed
by the Commission Secretary. The Commission
envisaged resuming former activities such as
a registry of expeditions and the publication of a
Desiderata column in the OPTIMA Newsletter.
The Internet was seen as a good instrument for
handling such issues. Digital pictures from the
expeditions can also be made available through
the OPTIMA Website.
PRIZE COMMISSION
Secretary: W. Greuter, Berlin
Members: V. Heywood, Reading
D. Phitos, Patras
F. M. Raimondo, Palermo
B. Valdés, Sevilla
The Commission received and considered
nominations for the 2007 OPTIMA Gold and Silver
Medals, to be awarded at the XII OPTIMA Meeting
in Pisa in September 2007. It recommended
that they be bestowed upon Vernon Heywood
(Gold), Ilana Herrnstadt, Toni Nikolić & Jasenka
Topić, and Pier Virgilio Arrigoni (Silver).
COMMISSION FOR THE MAPPING OF
ORCHIDS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
AREA
Contact: H. Baumann, Böblingen
This Commission was dissolved during the
Pisa meeting for lack of specific activity. Prof. Del
Prete remains in charge of having the text of the
“Atlas of Mediterranean Orchids” reviewed from a
scientific point of view. Hopefully, the chorological
Atlas will soon be published and made available
to OPTIMA members at a reduced price.
PROGRAMME COMMITTEE FOR THE
XIII OPTIMA MEETING
Don't miss the
XIII OPTIMA Meeting in Antalya, 2010!
Chair: T. Ekim, Istanbul
Members: A. Güner, İstanbul
V. Heywood, Reading
J.M. Iriondo, Madrid
K. H. Kan Başer, Eskisehir
14 OPTIMA Newsletter No. 38 May 2009