Recent activities on invasive alien plants in Portugal
In Portugal the following activities and projects related to invasive alien plants have been or are currently being undertaken.
A request had been made for the intentional introduction of Paulownia tomentosa (Paulowniaceae) in Portugal for afforestation. The species was accepted and an authorization for controlled trials was issued before the end of 2012.
From 2010 to 2012, a research project involving universities in Portugal and Brazil was investigating ecological processes and management strategies for Acacia dealbata (Fabaceae, EPPO List of invasive alien plants), A. saligna (Fabaceae), A. longifolia (Fabaceae), Parkinsonia aculeata (Fabaceae), Prosopis juliflora (Fabaceae), Sesbania virgata (Fabaceae) and Sporobolus indicus (Poaceae).
During the construction of the hydroelectric complex of Baixo Sabor in Torre de Moncorvo (North-East of the country), populations of Acacia dealbata, Ailanthus altissima (Simaroubaceae, EPPO List of IAP), Datura stramonium (Solanaceae) and Phytolacca americana (Phytolaccaceae) have been subject to control actions. Invasive alien plants including Carpobrotus spp. (Aizoaceae) have been eradicated in an area of 5.5 hectares in the dune system of Cresmina-Guincho. In the Lagoas de Bertiandos e San Pedro de Arcos Protected Landscape, an inventory of rare and protected species was undertaken, as well as control actions against Acacia dealbata, A. melanoxylon (Fabaceae) and Hakea sericea (Proteaceae, EPPO List of IAP). In May 2012, the woody invasive alien plants Acacia spp. and Hakea spp. have also been subject to control actions in Senhora da Mó. The objective of this control programme was to diversify forest composition and take advantage of natural regrowth.
In Madeira, since 2008, periodic actions have been undertaken for the monitoring of Arundo donax (Poaceae), Carpobrotus edulis (Aizoaceae, EPPO List of IAP) and Ricinus communis (Euphorbiaceae). In 2009, projects started concerning the following species: the eradication of Agave americana (Asparagaceae) at Ponta de SãLourenço; the control of Phalaris aquatica (Poaceae) in the Castanheira’s valley on Deserta Grande Island; the control of Conyza bonariensis (Asteraceae) on Selvagem Grande Island; the control of Cytisus scoparius (Fabaceae) in a mountaineous area where Zino’s Petrel (Pterodroma madeira, Procellariidae) nests.
In the Azores, a regional plan aims to eradicate and control the following invasive alien plants in areas of high biological value on all islands of the archipelago: Acacia melanoxylon, Ailanthus altissima, Arundo donax, Carpobrotus edulis, Clethra arborea (Clethraceae), Drosanthemum floribundum (Ruschioideae), Gunnera tinctoria (Gunneraceae, EPPO Alert List), Hedychium gardnerianum (Zingiberaceae), Hydrangea macrophylla (Hydrangeaceae), Ipomoea indica (Convolvulaceae), Lantana camara (Verbenaceae), Pittosporum undulatum (Pittosporaceae), Polygonum capitatum (Polygonaceae), Pteridium aquilinum (Dennstaedtiaceae), Rubus ulmifolius (Rosaceae) and Ulex europaeus (Fabaceae).
In addition, control programmes against Acacia melanoxylon, Gunnera tinctoria, Clethra arborea and Hedychium gardnerianum were undertaken in the priority habitat ‘Laurissilva forest’.
Sources
Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (2013) Implementation of recommendations on invasive alien species. National reports and contributions. Bern Convention group of experts on invasive alien species, Alghero, Sardinia, Italy (20-22 June 2013), pp 48-65.