RT Journal Article T1 Assessment Protocol to Evaluate the Degree of Conservation of Habitats of Community Interest: A Case Study for the 5220* HCI in the Westernmost Localities of Europe. A1 Hidalgo-Triana, Noelia A1 Casimiro-Soriguer Solanas, Federico A1 Solakis Tena, Andros A1 Manteca Bautista, David A1 Picornell Rodríguez, Antonio A1 García Sánchez, José A1 Navarro-del-Águila, María Teresa A1 Pérez-Latorre, Andrés Vicente K1 Flora - Mediterráneo (Región) AB The westernmost European nucleus of the 5220* Habitat of Community Interest (HCI) is located in the province of Málaga (Andalusia). In this area, the 5220* HCI is characterized by the presence of scrublands of Gymnosporia senegalensis subsp. europaea. This is a relict species in Europe, with inhabits only in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula. The westernmost Iberian nuclei of the 5220* HCI are constituted by three isolated nuclei (Málaga–Rincón de la Victoria; Torremolinos; and Pizarra). These nuclei have been only partially mapped. The objectives were: to map the 5220* HCI characterized by G. senegalensis subsp. europaea in detail; to evaluate its degree of conservation (DC); and to identify the chronosequences of the evolution of this habitat from 1957 to 2021, and its fragmentation. Our results have contributed to generating a 1:10,000 scale cartography of the habitat. In general, the DC obtained was from good to excellent. With an excellent DC value, one inland locality (Pizarra) was highlighted. However, the highest reduction in the value of DC was observed in the localities of Torremolinos and Málaga–Rincón de la Victoria which, in addition, have reduced the area of occupancy (AOO) and are fragmented. It is important to note that some areas of Málaga–Rincón de la Victoria reached excellent values of DC, indicating the need to carry out protection. PB MDPI YR 2023 FD 2023 LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/29259 UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/29259 LA eng NO Hidalgo-Triana, N., Casimiro-Soriguer Solanas, F., Solakis Tena, A., Manteca-Bautista, D., Picornell, A., García-Sánchez, J., Navarro, T. & Pérez-Latorre, A. V. (2023). Assessment Protocol to Evaluate the Degree of Conservation of Habitats of Community Interest: A Case Study for the 5220* HCI in the Westernmost Localities of Europe. Land, 12(1), 190. DOI: 10.3390/land12010190 DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga RD 20 ene 2026