Field work on the island of Corvo by elements of the SPEA and the Technical University of Munich led to the discovery of several specimens of Myosotis azorica.
Since 2001 there were no known records of this small blue flower endemic in Flores and Corvo and only had 5 recorded in 2012, on a cliff which was later destroyed by earthmoving, suspecting that the species could be lost or extinguished . From 2009 to 2012, there were even several unsuccessful attempts to locate the plants of this species under the LIFE "Safe Islands for Seabirds" project. However, the recent work of exploration to the coastal cliffs of the island of Corvo in the Azores archipelago, carried out by the technicians of the Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds (SPEA), Carlos Silva and Tania Pipa and researcher at the Technical University of Munich (Germany) Prof. Dr. Hanno Schaefer led to the rediscovery of one of the rarest endemic plants of the Azores and the World "forget-me-not."
The greatest threat to their survival, and other coastal plants and birds, is the high grazing pressure of 245 goats and wild sheep inhabiting the slopes of Corvo and where there are the highest cliffs of the North Atlantic. The "Forget-me-not" is just out of reach of these herbivores on steeper slopes and inaccessible cliffs, which unfortunately are very unstable and collapse, which may lead to the disappearance of this rare plant.
SPEA, in collaboration with the Natural Park of Corvo and the Technical University of Munich are joining efforts to define the action plan for the species Myosotis azorica and hope to increase production in the nursery by the number of individuals of this species extremely threatened, so that in the near future, all visitors and residents of the Corvo can enjoy the beauty of this plant and it lives up to its name and is not left by the wayside. Although globally this species is listed as the status vulnerable species the situation is quite worrying.
