Santander (EFE.- ) The works to free the islet of Virgen del Mar from invasive flora have ended with a balance of 315 cubic meters of plant waste eliminated in the last month.
It is the result of an initiative promoted by the Santander City Council, within the Santander Norte Litoral-Costa Quebrada Tourism Sustainability Plan.
The environment of the Virgen del Mar has been the first objective of a project to eliminate invasive species that will be extended to other spaces during the development of this plan, financed with European funds and which has 2025 as its horizon.
It is intended to improve the conservation of coastal habitats, where exotic species proliferate that “have been causing a significant loss of biodiversity,” according to the City Council.
Duster, chilca and cat’s claw
The feather duster, the chilca, the cat’s claw or the pittosporum have been colonizing the Santander and Cantabrian coasts. They have displaced the native flora of cliffs, Atlantic heaths, coastal holm oak groves and other environments recognized as natural habitats of community interest.
These species have been the object of the work of the company awarded the contract, Ampros, the Cantabrian association in favor of people with intellectual disabilities.
In the last month, it has eliminated more than 5,500 square meters of feather duster, more than 450 feet of chilca -the species with the greatest proliferation on the islet-, 80 meters of cat’s claw and more than 230 feet of Pittosporum sp of different sizes.
In total, 315 cubic meters of volume of vegetable waste have been removed. They have been collected selectively and managed with the collaboration of the Santander City Council Parks and Gardens Service.
Sprout monitoring
During the next months, a follow-up will be carried out to control the potential regrowth of the removed feet. The growth of the grasses that have been planted to start the restoration of the soil will also be monitored, with more than 410 meters of revegetated surface.
In addition, in the autumn the planting of autochthonous flora such as heather will be evaluated to improve the habitats and the ecological state of the environment.
This initiative is complemented by similar actions of the Santander Capital Natura Project, also financed by Next Generation Funds.
The objective of Santander Natural is to reinforce the role of the network of urban green spaces in the conservation of biodiversity, promoting environmental services that improve the quality of life of residents. EFE