SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Dec. 6 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Governing Council of the Cabildo de Tenerife has approved an investment of 3.5 million euros that will be used over the next three years to fight against the invasive exotic flora on the island, which is a serious problem that affects the island’s biodiversity.
The work will focus on the eradication of those species present in the insular territory that are in the Spanish catalog of invasive alien species, such as those with an invasive nature demonstrated on native species and natural and semi-natural habitats.
“With this item we want to especially preserve the protected natural spaces of the Island to avoid negative effects on native species,” said the president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martín, who added that for this reason “medium-term planning is essential to consolidate these works in time, and thus achieve optimum results”.
“Among the main objectives of the Cabildo, as far as the environment is concerned, is the control and eradication of flora species that for various reasons have appropriated the ecosystem, causing real damage to its own flora and even to the island fauna” the president pointed out. “For this reason, items of just over one million euros a year will be allocated in the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets, now being formalized in a commission to the public company Gesplan,” he added.
For her part, the Minister of Natural Environment and Security Management, Isabel García, wanted to recall that the actions in the field “will consist of the manual uprooting of the specimens of these species with the help of small tools and their transfer to the determined places for their elimination. on the Island, avoiding at all times the dispersal by seeds and propagules, in addition to the planting of autochthonous flora species in the areas where it is considered appropriate to undertake environmental restoration after the control work”.
Likewise, the presence of the crews will be used to remove the scattered or small-scale waste that may be found in the work areas, as a complementary task of environmental sanitation.
On the other hand, the workers will provide support in the preparation of the experimental plots of the scientific tests that are carried out in collaboration with the scientific institutions for the search of effective methods of control of the invasive exotic flora.
