Domenico Gargano

Domenico Gargano is an Associate Professor in Systematic Botany at the Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences of the University of Calabria, where he has been a permanent faculty member since 2007. He holds a PhD in Plant Biology from the same institution and has achieved national scientific qualification for both Associate and Full Professor ranks in Botany. His academic service includes teaching courses in Systematic Botany, Vegetation Monitoring, Plant Conservation, and Reproductive Biology, as well as serving on the board of the PhD program in Life Sciences and on evaluation committees for doctoral programs at other universities.

His research is dedicated to understanding the processes that generate and maintain vascular plant diversity, with a strong emphasis on conservation. Key research interests include plant mating systems, population fitness, biotic interactions, and the quantitative assessment of plant conservation status using IUCN criteria. His work often involves field studies in Mediterranean ecosystems, particularly within the Pollino National Park, and focuses on rare and threatened species. He has made significant contributions to national and international conservation efforts, including the production of the Red List of Italian Vascular Flora.

His recent publications reflect a consistent focus on plant systematics, conservation biology, and the impacts of global change. Key trends include the taxonomic revision of the Dianthus genus, the use of plant traits for bioindication of environmental pollution, the assessment of extinction risk for Italian flora, and the conservation of old-growth forests. His work bridges fundamental plant biology with applied conservation science.

• Member of the national evaluation board for the VQR15-19 as expert in Systematic Botany (2021)
• National Scientific Qualification as Full Professor in Botany (2016)
• National Scientific Qualification as Associate Professor in Botany (2012)
• Member of REPRISE (list of expert scientific referees of MIUR) for the section 'Base Research' (2018)

Domenico Gargano has been a principal investigator on numerous research grants, primarily funded by the Pollino National Park, the Italian Ministry of the Environment, and the Calabria Region. His projects focus on establishing permanent monitoring sites for plant communities, assessing the impacts of climate change and grazing on Mediterranean grasslands, and developing methodologies for monitoring species of community interest. He has also collaborated on international projects with ETH Zürich and the IUCN. He has advised and mentored numerous early-career researchers through his participation in doctoral programs and workshops, though specific student names are not listed. He is an active member of the scientific community, serving on the editorial boards of Frontiers in Plant Science and Frontiers in Conservation Science, and as a referee for journals like Plant Biosystems and Conservation Genetics.

His research is conducted within the Plant Biology Research Group (Biologia Vegetale) at the University of Calabria’s Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences. This group, led by Prof. Leonardo Bruno, is structured into three sections focusing on plant biotechnology, biosystematics and conservation, and plant taxonomy and ecology. Gargano’s work is closely aligned with the 'Taxonomy, Conservation and Plant Ecology' section led by Prof. Liliana Bernardo, and he has been instrumental in organizing workshops for the Italian Botanical Society’s Working Group for Nature Conservation, which he coordinated from 2012 to 2017.