Since 1992, LIFE has contributed to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental

policy and legislation. In the Nature & Biodiversity strand, LIFE has supported activities focusing on best

practice or demonstration projects that contribute to the implementation of the Birds and Habitat directives

and the Natura 2000 network. To date, LIFE has funded some 300 projects dealing with invasive species.

Visit the LIFE website: ec.europa.eu/life

LIFE, the EU funding tool for the Environment

LIFE & invasive species

© European Union, 2018

The LAURISSILVA SUSTENTAVEL project has developed an effective methodology for the sus-tainable management of native habitats and to sup-port the control of invasive alien species in the Azores.

The project successfully implemented direct actions for the recovery and management of 52 ha of prior-ity habitat areas. Innovative mechanical and chemical methods were applied to remove invasive exotic vege-tation, while 86 000 native species grown in dedicated nurseries were planted.

Additional actions were taken to restore the soil water level and allow the recovery of plant communities in peatland areas, recovering 81 ha of potential habitats for them.

The project allowed the designation of a new Natura 2000 network site Serra da Tronqueira/Planalto dos Graminhais, covering 2 010 ha and home to the Azores bullfinch “Priolo” (Pyrrhula murina), a bird endemic to this site.

To guarantee long-term conservation, the project put into value its main socioeconomic benefits, such as nature tourism, and defined the best measures for its restoration. The project has developed several territo-rial management tools and produced a practical guide to the eradication of exotic species.

LAURISSILVA SUSTENTAVEL LIFE07 NAT/P/000630

The RARITY project has successfully contained the spread of the invasive Louisiana red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkia) and improved the conserva-tion of the native white-clawed crayfish (Austropota-mobius pallipes).

The project mapped the whole region of Friuli Ven-ezia Giulia in north-eastern Italy to monitor the pres-ence of both the native and invasive target species, establishing a network of 238 monitoring stations and with the involvement of 60 volunteers. Early detection protocols were implemented in 10 sites. More than 20 000 Louisiana red swamp crayfish were captured and removed during the project, and they were completely eradicated from two sites. Two farming structures were restored for breeding the native white-clawed crayfish and more than 40 000 juveniles were released into the wild.

Besides, the project developed and tested three inno-vative and effective techniques for controlling the IAS:

• Male sterilisation: sterilised males are released and can

mate with wild females, reducing the number of ferti-

lized eggs.

• Food pellets with gonad-inhibiting hormones: synthe-

sised in the lab, it inhibits the sexual maturing of the

Louisiana red swamp crayfish, reducing fertility.

• Sex pheromone mimic: the replication of female sexual

pheromones allows the mass capture of Louisiana red

swamp crayfish males.

RARITY LIFE10 NAT/IT/000239

Max 1180 characteres/blanks-spaces included please

The Estuarios del Pais Vasco project aimed at the regeneration of habitats of Community interest, targeting the problems caused by the invasive bushy shrub Baccharis halimifolia in estuarine habitats.

The project implemented an ambitious control cam-paign in three Basque Country estuaries in the Natura 2000 network based on physical (hand pulling seed-lings, chainsaw cutting larger specimens, clearing se-lected female specimens before flowering, etc) and chemical methods (applying herbicide to the stumps and to re-sprouting shrubs). The project also imple-mented management elements to reduce damage to the environment at all stages of the process: planning the actions based on the life cycles of birds and other species, managing waste properly, and avoiding the use of heavy machinery.

The invasive plant was completely removed from more than 200 ha, realizing an outstanding recovery of these habitats. The improvement of the ecological state of estuaries (in over 300 ha) has direct benefits for other plants and contributed to the preservation of numerous bird species.

The best practice restoration techniques demonstrat-ed can be readily implemented in other European es-tuaries experiencing similar problems, with the valu-able support of the ‘Manual for the Management of Baccharis halimifolia’ produced by the project.

Estuarios del Pais Vasco LIFE08 NAT/E/000055

The MIRDINEC project has successfully tackled the management of the invasive alien species (IAS) the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) in Scan-dinavia, reducing the existing populations, slowing down dispersal and preventing a population increase.

To manage a highly mobile IAS, the project success-fully promoted international cooperation, achieving a big slowdown of the dispersal of raccoon dogs in Den-mark, and from Finland to Sweden and Norway. The project established an early warning system to track immigration of raccoon dogs in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. Over the three years of the project, 1 401 rac-coon dogs were captured or culled in the three coun-tries. The project introduced for the first time the ‘Ju-das technique’ with an invasive alien predator. Judas animals were sterilised and transmitter tagged (GPS/GSM) to capture their partners and any offspring.

The project demonstrated the potential transfer of in-novative methods to other invasive species with simi-lar behaviour – monogamous and life partners – such as raccoons (Procyon lotor).

To prove the cost-benefit of continuous management of IAS, the project developed population models show-ing that the number of raccoon dogs in Sweden and Denmark would reach critical levels for native biodi-versity in the next 10-20 years. The cost of managing established predator IAS is even higher.

MIRDINEC LIFE09 NAT/SE/000344

Environment

HABITAT RECOVERY AND CONTROL MEASURES

IAS MANAGEMENT / EARLY WARNING SYSTEM

ERADICATION AND MONITORING

CONTROL CAMPAIGN IN ESTUARIES

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poster-IAS-updated.indd 1 26/06/18 18:03