Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country of diverse habitats with different types of geological substrates (calcareous, dolomite, serpentine, silicate) and large number of endemic species. We propose Knautia genus, as a very taxonomically and economically interesting. Knautia habitats in Sarajevo region are extremely endangered due to constant expansion of urban and industrial area. For development of conservation strategies, it is necessary to do a population and habitat status review,since there was no recent survey of this genus in B&H from 1960s.

This project is continuation of the project: “seed bank establishment for the endangered and endemic species from Mt. Ozren”, which was supported by the Rufford Small Grants (2013). Insufficient and lacking data on the distribution, ecology, phenology and habitats are the main problems in conservation of endemic species in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The proposed project would focus on the verification of old published data and field investigation of possible new localities as an important input for Knautia genus conservation. In long term it will be interesting to develop the protocols for in vitro plant production, both from seeds and mother plants, for future reintroduction of most endangered Knautia species in nature and green urban areas.