{"id":20945,"date":"2023-06-24T16:32:15","date_gmt":"2023-06-24T16:32:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rotavicentina-blog.miewstudio.com\/the-backstage-of-a-nature-conservation-activity\/"},"modified":"2023-10-10T12:45:04","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T12:45:04","slug":"backstage-nature-conservation-activity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/backstage-nature-conservation-activity\/","title":{"rendered":"The backstage of a Nature Conservation Activity (part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column width=”1\/1″][vc_custom_heading]Long-leaved Wattle: Planning and Intervention Strategy in Rota Vicentina\u2019s Pilot Areas[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]Each intervention area has its own particularities, and each team does as well! There are different ways to take care of our landscape and intervene in unique and threatened areas, which can vary according to the characteristics of the target species, the intervention area, and also the group of people who do it. In the pilot areas of Rota Vicentina<\/a><\/strong>, when planning our interventions for each nature conservation activity, we take into account not only the needs detected on site but also the size, sensitivity, and experience of the volunteer group.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”20877″][\/vc_single_image][vc_column_text]Regarding the<\/span> Long-leaved Wattle<\/b> (<\/span>Acacia longifolia)<\/span><\/i> – one of the invasive species of the Costa Alentejana and Vicentina – or other species of Wattle, the planning and intervention strategy is done in three ways:<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=”h3″ text_size=”h3″]1. PREVENTIVE REMOVAL[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]Preventive removal<\/strong> consists of walking transects* in an orderly manner, carefully observing various passage sections where invasive species do not appear to have settled or formed significant patches.<\/p>\n

*Transects are lines or strips of land along which certain phenomena or events are recorded, executed, or studied. It is a way of mapping the intervention or study area and, in this case, removing the invasive species. <\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”20905″][\/vc_single_image][vc_column_text]This type of intervention allows the scouting team to detect and remove isolated wattle trees in an early development phase, covering a wider or more sensitive area and preventing the appearance and expansion of new invasion patches.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”20881″][\/vc_single_image][vc_column_text]When carrying out preventive removal, it is important to pay attention to the intervention’s impact. The team must not only be very familiar with the target species for removal, able to identify it from a distance and in its various stages of evolution, but also know the most appropriate control techniques to apply in each situation. Additionally, it is important that the intervention team can distinguish native vegetation and, most importantly, identify threatened or more sensitive flora to possible trampling. All of this can be learned in the nature conservation<\/strong> activities<\/strong> regularly organized by the Rota Vicentina Association.<\/p>\n

To minimize any negative impacts, some precautions are necessary.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u274c Avoid stepping on or disturbing threatened or more sensitive flora
\n\u274c Avoid walking through dense vegetation areas and, whenever possible, choose existing trails, areas without vegetation, or covered with invasive plants (e.g., sour fig)
\n\u274c Do not leave the collected invasive plants in contact with the soil
\n\u274c Do not transport invasive plants from the removal site
\n\u274c Do not transport seeds or plants with seeds
\n<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”20952″][\/vc_single_image][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=”h3″ text_size=”h3″]2. CONTROL AND NEUTRALIZATION OF ISOLATED PATCHES[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]When dealing with isolated patches<\/strong>, the objective is to identify and detect new invasive areas and intervene to reduce, weaken, or if possible, neutralize them. These patches, as the name suggests, are clusters of small and medium-sized acacias that result from seed transportation from the primary invasion fronts, along with non-preventive removal. In these clusters or isolated nuclei, seed-producing plants are often present, which makes intervention in these areas important to effectively reduce their invasive potential.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”20909″][\/vc_single_image][vc_column_text]To intervene in isolated patches, the team can undertake two tasks: preventive removal of the nucleus perimeter and neutralization of the invasive hotspot. This involves focusing efforts on larger plants within the target cluster.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”20887″][\/vc_single_image][vc_column_text]BEWARE!<\/strong>
\n\u274c Avoid stepping on or disturbing threatened or more sensitive flora
\n\u274c Avoid walking through dense vegetation areas and, whenever possible, choose existing trails, areas without vegetation, or covered with invasive plants (e.g., sour fig)
\n\u274c Do not leave the collected invasive plants in contact with the soil
\n\u274c Do not transport invasive plants from the removal site
\n\u274c Do not transport seeds or plants with seeds
\n\u274c Cut\/thin only as much as necessary to reach the main trunk
\n\u274c Be especially careful of the presence of rooting branches in the ground.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”20954″][\/vc_single_image][vc_custom_heading heading_semantic=”h3″ text_size=”h3″]3. CONTROL AND FRAGMENTATION OF THE MAIN INVASION FRONT<\/strong>[\/vc_custom_heading][vc_column_text]When intervening in the main invasion front<\/strong>, the goal is to break and push back the main fronts. These “fronts” are large monospecific patches that dominate the landscape and are often impenetrable. Observing these patches or walking inside them makes it clear that native species cannot develop during the full invasion phase, resulting in significant reduction in biodiversity.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”20901″][\/vc_single_image][vc_column_text]This form of intervention is characterized as “mass control,” which usually involves teams with a larger number of volunteers. Since the original habitat is extremely degraded or nonexistent in these heavily invaded areas, the risk of trampling does not pose a threat. The primary focus of the intervention should be on larger or medium-sized individuals that are already seed producers or are very close to producing the first flowers and, consequently, seeds.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”20893″][\/vc_single_image][vc_column_text]BEWARE!<\/strong>
\n\u274c Avoid stepping on or disturbing threatened or more sensitive flora
\n\u274c Do not leave the collected invasive plants in contact with the soil
\n\u274c Do not transport invasive plants from the removal site
\n\u274c Do not transport seeds or plants with seeds
\n\u274c Cut\/thin only as much as necessary to reach the main trunk
\n\u274c Be especially careful of the presence of rooting branches in the ground.[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”20950″][\/vc_single_image][vc_column_text]During the LIFE Volunteer Escapes<\/a><\/strong> post-project phase, teams of short-term volunteers dedicate some of their time helping to protect endemic flora and are fundamental to perpetuate the work that began in 2018.<\/p>\n

To all the volunteers<\/a> who join Rota Vicentina’s nature conservation activities, I extend a special thanks for their effort and dedication.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image media=”20895″][\/vc_single_image][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Long-leaved Wattle: Planning and Intervention Strategy in Rota Vicentina\u2019s Pilot Areas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20900,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[317,314,306,301,140],"tipos":[105],"destaques":[],"class_list":["post-20945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-management-maintenance","tag-conservation","tag-educacao-ambiental-en","tag-sustentabilidade-en","tag-volunteering-en","tag-walking-trails","tipos-article"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20945"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20956,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20945\/revisions\/20956"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20945"},{"taxonomy":"tipos","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tipos?post=20945"},{"taxonomy":"destaques","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rv-blog-stg.fera.miewstudio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destaques?post=20945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}