PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The invasive alien plant species (IAS), Ailanthus altissima (commonly known as tree of heaven, or ailanthus), is one of the most harmful and widespread invasive tree species in Europe. First brought to Europe from China in the 1740s, in recent years the rapidly growing deciduous tree has spread quickly in Italy, especially in the Alta Murgia National Park (located in the south of the country), where it has given rise to changes in ecosystem structures and is replacing and altering native plant communities of considerable conservation value, causing natural habitat loss and degradation.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE Alta Murgia project aimed to control and then eradicate the invasive exotic tree
species, Ailanthus altissima, from the Alta Murgia National Park – a
Site of Community Importance (SCI) and Special Protection Area (SPA)
within the EU’s Natura 2000 network of protected areas.
RESULTS
The LIFE Alta Murgia project removed about 2-10 million Ailanthus altissima plants from Alta Murgia National Park, well beyond the 10,000 plants initially foreseen. Overall, out of a total of 749 infested areas, 683 were treated, for a total surface area of more than 200 ha. This was possible thanks to the active involvement of hundreds of landowners, which allowed the project to obtain over 400 authorisations to work on their plots of land. Therefore, although eradication of the target species was not completed, the project managed to achieve impressive results.
A clear commitment was lacking to ensure complete eradication of A. altissima from Alta Murgia National Park and guarantee the long-term sustainability of the results achieved. However, national legislation to implement Regulation (EU) No 1143/2014 clearly identifies the national park administration (a project beneficiary) and the regional administration as co-responsible for the eradication of A. altissima. This should ensure that the species will be duly managed in the after-LIFE period, in accordance with the provisions of the EU regulation, which the project helped implement.
Several types of habitat may have benefitted from the project: eastern sub-Mediterranean dry grasslands, pseudo-steppes with grasses and annuals of the Thero-Brachypodietea, eastern white oak woods and conifer reforestation woods.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).
