Actions - LIFE project: Restoration of habitats of Community interest in estuaries of the Basque Country - LIFE08NAT/E/000055

  • Elimination of masses and specimens of Baccharis halimifolia: the objective is to gradually eliminate this invasive plant from a total of 293.5 hectares in the three estuaries over the duration of the project.  This species has a great capacity for expansion and re-growth which is why controlling it is complex and requires specific monitoring.

  • Revegetation of areas: although the response of estuarine ecosystems is very positive in terms of spontaneous recovery, pilot testing conducted in the areas of study have shown that support is needed for natural recolonization, by means of sowing and planting species native to the habitats that are to be recovered. 

In particular, the saline reeds and alluvial forests are expected to be most favoured, which is why sowing and planting of the species in areas where natural recolonization has not been developed will take place.

In addition, with the aim of promoting habitat restoration and hindering the recolonization of invasive species, this action will be completed by flooding the places where the topography and the range of tides is favourable.

This project has also permitted the optimisation of methodologies of elimination of the species and the management of waste from the pruning, analysis of the costs, establishment of criteria for the selection of the methodologies and planning of the work, design of a monitoring plan, etc.

The objective of the document BACCHARIS HALIMIFOLIA Management Manual is to present, in a unified way, all the available information about this species, offering managers a base on which to schedule their projects and actions comprehensively.

The relevance of the project and the actions, require good communication with the public and those interested.  

    • International monitoring and outreach commission: as it is a problem that affects a large part of the European Atlantic coast, it is important to encourage the exchange of information and experiences with other affected areas. This commission will be made up of agencies to manage the Natura 2000 estuaries in the affected territories from Brittany to Asturias.
    • Technical conferences on invasive species in the Natura 2000 Network: despite the serious problem being caused by the expansion of the species of invasive flora, there is a lack of knowledge regarding its effects and above all, how to address the problem, and especially in the Natura 2000 areas. The objective of this conference is to train agents with a greater capacity to act in this area. We will promptly inform you of the date and place where these conferences will be held.
    • participation in other events

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