Two new research projects on Ambrosia artemisiifolia in the European Union
The DG Environment of the European Commission is financing two new research projects on Ambrosia artemisiifolia.
One of the projects is entitled “Assessing and controlling the spread and the effects of common ragweed in Europe”. As extensive information is available on A. artemisiifolia, there is a need to model the distribution of this species in Europe, evaluating scenarios including the development of measures to control its spread and introduction (now and in future climates), as well as its economic, social and environmental impacts. This project will last 18 months and is coordinated by the NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) in the UK, with the participation of the European Centre for Nature Conservation, the consultancy “Economics for the Environment”, the Finnish Meteorological Institute, as well as NatureBureau, NaturePartner and the Royal Agricultural College in the UK.
The other project is called “HALT-AMBROSIA” and its overall aim is to contribute to the reduction of the prevalence of Ambrosia artemisiifolia in European countries. A strategy will be developed to reduce the occurrence of this plant and of its allergenic pollen in countries where it is already established (e.g., Hungary, Slovenia, parts of Austria, and South-Eastern Central Europe) and to prevent its further entry and spread in countries where it is still of limited distribution, such as Germany, the Netherlands and Northern European countries. Experiments will be conducted to get a fuller understanding of critical elements in the life history of the plant, and to test and evaluate chemical, mechanical and biological control measures. This project will last 36 months and is coordinated by the Julius Kühn-Institute in Germany, with the participation of the Universität für Bodenkultur in Austria, the Hungarian Plant Protection Institute, the Kaposvar University in Hungary, the Kmetijski Institut in Slovenia, and the Aarhus University in Denmark. The website of this project will inform the general public about the findings of the research and invites comments and observations.
Sources
European Center for Nature Conservation, Assessing and controlling the spread and the effects of Common ragweed in Europe
HALT-AMBROSIA Project Website: