PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Cortaderia selloana, commonly called pampas grass, is a very aggressive invasive species of natural and semi-natural habitats. It has invaded a coastal corridor around the ‘Atlantic arc’ from France to Portugal, with Cantabria being the territory most seriously affected. The year-on-year spread of Cortaderia selloana has been accelerated by the rapid expansion of suburban and industrial areas. This process is negatively affecting native species, degrading natural habitats, and restricting the public use of coastal areas. Therefore, urgent action is required to manage the situation.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE STOP Cortaderia project operated at the ‘Atlantic arc’ and the Cantabria (Spain) levels to manage invasive pampas grass. It aimed to coordinate actions around the ‘Atlantic arc’ through a strategy and a working group for the exchange of information and experience among French, Spanish, and Portuguese organisations. The strategy included awareness-raising actions to inform people along the Atlantic coast about the detrimental effects of pampas grass on biodiversity. In Cantabria, the project aimed to stop the spread of Cortaderia and reduce its presence in coastal Natura 2000 network sites to safeguard sensitive habitats and native species. Actions taken aimed to prevent the spread of pampas grass beyond the southern boundary of its current range in Cantabria and inland in valleys where its presence is still limited. The project aimed to quantify the distribution of Cortaderia in Cantabria and northern Portugal and test new methodologies for the control of pampas grass that could be replicated elsewhere.
RESULTS
This project coordinated all the actors of the ‘Atlantic arc’ level involved in the fight against Cortaderia. This implied a Strategy and a Working Group with French, Spanish, and Portuguese entities that faced the threat in a joint manner. At Cantabria’s level, they worked to stop the spread of Cortaderia and reduced its presence in 3 specific areas (the most important natural coastal areas being part of the Natura 2000 network, the interior valleys, where the presence is still limited or dispersed, and the southern boundary of the species propagation area).
The project conducted successful communication on Cortaderia to raise awareness with clear practical information on the management of the species. More than 900 professionals from different sectors were trained on Cortaderia in both Spain and Portugal. The local population took part in informative talks given both face-to-face and virtually, some of which are available on the YouTube channel of the project. There were 6 meetings of the Working Group, and 4 seminars held at different venues in Spain, Portugal, and France. These concentrated on specific aspects of the planning and action against Cortaderia in the Atlantic Arc.
A best practice manual for controlling Cortaderia was published with the aim of helping the technicians and those in charge of the management of Cortaderia in the territory plan and implement action. In addition, the manual established the good practices that must be applied in sectors such as stockbreeding, gardening, quarry exploitation, forestry exploitation, road maintenance, and town planning.
At the Cantabria level, 127.18% of the planned area (305.23 ha vs. 240 ha planned) within the network of Protected Sites and 63.70% of the planned regional area (38.22 ha out of the 60 ha envisaged) were cleared from Cortaderia. A web platform as an Early Warning Network was established to track the growth of Cortaderia in Cantabria and Portugal.
Another product of the Project is the Transnational Strategy for the fight against Cortaderia to which about 180 entities from the 3 countries have adhered, for which trainings, information on eradication methodologies, seminars, etc. were regularly organised.
The LIFE Stop Cortaderia project also won the 2022 NAtura 2000 Socio-economic benefits category award.
