Current Knowledge, Gaps and Conservation Priorities for Mediterranean Temporary Ponds in Central–Southern Italy Insights From a Scientometric Approach

Temporary ponds have significant biodiversity and societal value, yet they have historically been neglected and undervalued in water and nature-related policies. In Italy, temporary ponds have received less attention in biodiversity research and conservation efforts compared to other freshwater ecosystems. Consequently, the scarcity of information regarding their ecology, biodiversity and spatial distribution complicates the development of effective management and conservation strategies for these habitats. We conducted a bibliometric analysis of 103 articles, published between 1980 and 2023, to compile an initial inventory of individual temporary ponds studied in central and southern Italy, identifying potential regional gaps. We analysed key topics covered, research trends and their temporal evolution, as well as identifying the most prolific authors and collaboration networks between institutions, including the topics they shared. The results revealed that studies on temporary ponds in central and southern Italy began in 1980, with most research concentrated in Latium, Sardinia and Sicily. From these studies, we extrapolated and mapped the geographic coordinates from 630 individual temporary ponds. Research topics primarily focused on plants, vegetation and macroinvertebrates, while studies on biodiversity conservation and the Natura 2000 network have emerged more recently. The findings of this study identified gaps that should be addressed and evidenced lack of inventories in many regions that should be implemented as these are crucial for pond conservation efforts at local, national and Mediterranean scales.