THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF INVASIVE PLANTS ON COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS

Learn about them and help to protect our coast!

LIFE08NAT/E/0055

Invasive plants can be intenti onally brought for their use in gardening or public works, or accidentally in overland or mariti me transport, as well as through natural dispersion

Coastal ecosystems are home to important biodiversity and they provide ecosystem services such as hydrological regulati on, which helps to prevent fl oods. One of the main threats to the coastal ecosystems of the Basque Country is the proliferati on of invasive exoti c plants

Sea Myrtle • Baccharis halimifolia (high marsh, dunes and cliff s)Ice plant • Carpobrotus edulis (dunes and cliff s)Sparti na alternifl ora• and Sparti na patens (fl ooded areas)Cotula coronopifolia• (subhalophile communiti es)

BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS IN COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS DISPERSION

They can reproduce with a small • fragment of root or rhizome.

They produce a large number of seeds • that are dispersed by the wind, the water or by birds. Some of them produce millions of seeds.

They grow much faster than • autochthonous plants.

They take advantage of degraded or • unculti vated areas, but also of small perturbati ons in the ecosystems to establish themselves.

IMPACTS

They form dense masses that eliminate the • nati ve vegetati on of coastal ecosystems.

They modify the habitat of fauna species • and of threatened fl ora preventi ng its establishment and reproducti on.

They transform the features of the • environment that they invade by retaining sediments, modifying the salinity and humidity of the ground, etc.

They aff ect crops, pastures and farms; they • modify the landscape and can produce allergies.

Cotula coronopifolia

Baccharis halimifolia

Carpobrotus edulis

Sparti na alternifl ora and Sparti na patens

ELIMINATION IS VERY EXPENSIVE, THEREFORE THE PRIORITY IS PREVENTION

Banning their sale and marketi ng.•

Avoiding their use in gardening, public works, etc.•

Maintaining the habitats where they establish themselves in a good • state of conservati on.

Watching out for the appearance of new species and populati ons. •

ONCE THEY ARE ESTABLISHED, SWIFT ACTION MUST BE TAKEN

Eliminati ng small populati ons.•

Prioriti sing the most sensiti ve ecological areas such as wetlands, • dunes, etc.

Working in coordinati on with all the agents involved (public • administrati ons, private sector, research centres and the public).

THE ELIMINATION ACTIVITIES MUST BE VERY CAREFUL, COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS ARE VERY FRAGILE ENVIRONMENTS

A combinati on of diff erent methods is recommended:•

Physical (uprooti ng the plants). Chemical (the applicati on of herbicides in a safe manner by qualifi ed professionals, avoiding the contaminati on of the surroundings and without aff ecti ng other species of fl ora and fauna).Others, such as fl ooding or livestock grazing.

Respect the vegetati on and fauna of the environment:•

Take into account the breeding seasons of birds and other animals that inhabit coastal ecosystems.Avoid aff ecti ng the habitats and the most vulnerable plants. Restore the habitat once the invasive plant has been eliminated.

Photograph chosen in the “Estuaries: threats and conservati on” competi ti on by the LIFE Estuaries of the Basque Country Project

Author: Eladio Aires PachecoTitle: Jaizubiati k. Amanecer desde las marismas de Jaizubia

(Sunrise from the Jaizubia wetlands)(Hondarribia)

HOW TO DEAL

WITH THIS PROBLEM

LEARN MORE

Not all exoti c plants are invasive, only those that are capable of reproducing • themselves and spreading in an aggressive way.

Check the catalogue of invasive exoti c species in the Basque Country and the • regulati ons that aff ect them. Informati on source:

Department of the Environment and Regional Policy of the Basque Government - www.ingurumena.net

PREVENT

Help to preserve coastal ecosystems. Respect the barrier ropes on dunes, coastal • reedbeds and thickets, as well as the vegetati on on cliff s.

You could become a means of dispersion! If you see invasive plants, make sure that • your clothes or footwear do not have seeds or plant fragments att ached to them. And never take plants home!

Ask for autochthonous plants at your garden centre. Do not exchange plants, seeds • or bulbs you do not know the origins of. You could be spreading an invasive plant.

ACT

Check your garden – you might own an invasive plant yourself!•

If you see invasive plants in the natural environment, you can warn the authoriti es.• Take part in volunteering programmes and in invasive plant eliminati on acti viti es • which are organised periodically in the municipaliti es of our coast.

SPREAD THE WORD

Aft er learning about it yourself, tell those around you.•

Raise awareness in garden centres (request them to sell autochthonous species), • in your town council (request that they do not plant exoti c species and that they protect coastal ecosystems).

Do not discard this leafl et; take it to garden centres, town councils, informati on • centres or interpretati on centres.

WHAT CANYOU DO?

Seeds of Baccharis halimifolia trapped in a spiderweb in the Camargue. On windy days the air is fi lled with ti ny seeds that can scatt er up to 5 kilometres. Source: LIFE+ Estuaries of the Bsasque Country Project

LIFE+ ESTUARIES OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY, A PROJECT FOR THE RECOVERY OF ESTUARIESBaccharis halimifolia is present in all the Basque coast’s estuaries. By means of the LIFE+ Estuaries of the Basque Country Project, the main masses of invasive plants have been eliminated and the autochthonous vegetati on has been restored in the estuaries of Urdaibai, Lea and Txingudi.

The LIFE programme is the European Commission’s fi nancial instrument for the environment. This project has been made possible thanks to the 50% contributi on.

www.euskadi.net/life_estuarios

Eliminati on of Baccharis halimifolia and recovery of estuary habitats

Over 700 ha treated.• 9500 trees and shrubs planted.• 300 ha of estuary habitats recovered.•

Informati on on the problem of invasive species in estuaries

Teaching and informati ve material.• Guided visits and technical sessions.• Exhibiti ons.•

Coordinati on and global acti on on the Atlanti c coast

Creati on of an internati onal work group.• Publicati on of a management manual.•

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