Arbutus unedo L. is a common tree species in the Mediterranean whose natural distribution range extends as far north as the Istrian peninsula. Historically, A. unedo was cultivated in the Trieste Gulf, however, there wereno known natural locations of this species. Until 1971, the only probable northern-most natural location in the eastern Adriatic Sea was in cape Dente, located at the mouth of the Mirna River in Croatia. In 1971, a small population of A. unedo was discovered in Slovenia, and is now believed to be the northern-most natural population of the eastern Adriatic coast. The goal of this project was to assess the situation, state, and development trend of A. unedo in cape Ronek, and to determine whether there were significant differences between this and the cape Dente population. The cape Ronek population comprises of 19 relatively viable specimens with good light conditions, poor to moderate flowering and poor fruiting. There were no signs of any regeneration and leaf morphometric analysis revealed no differences between populations. Because A. unedo is a species of intermediate successional stages with strong competition for light from other tree species and climbers, action is necessary for its conservation on cape Ronek. The advantages and disadvantages of five strategies for conserving the population has been researched and presented in SWOT table analyses.
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