Santuario de la Naturaleza Yerba Loca (SN Yerba Loca), Metropolitan Region (MR), 33º S, Chile is analyzed for its conservation value and efficiency in protecting native vascular plants in a regional context. The reserve's flora of 500 species and subtaxa was evaluated for species richness, endemism, range size and marginally distributed taxa, using species-area analysis, and tendencies in the floras of the MR (1.434 species and subtaxa) and MR-Fifth regions (1,841 species and subtaxa) to set the regional pattern. The reserve (0.7 % of MR land area and 0.3 % MR-Fifth land area) contains 34 % of the MR and 27% of the MR-Fifth floras, and around 16-17 % of the mediterranean-climate area (regions IV-VIII) flora of central Chile. Veech's Relative Richness Index... |