With the onset of the active summer season, practical demonstrations on invasive species control have begun within the project “Protecting Biodiversity from Invasive Alien Species” (INVAGO). On May 13 this year, the first experience exchange event was held in the Salantai Regional Park (Lithuania), kicking off a series of demonstrations that will continue across all partner pilot territories in Latvia and Lithuania.
The core of the Salantai event programme consisted of practical fieldwork – participants carried out the manual digging of young Sosnowsky’s hogweed shoots and the eradication of their root systems. As Evija Ērkšķe, the manager of the “INVAGO” project, emphasizes:
The practical exchange of experience and knowledge in person is one of the greatest values of this project – by seeing specific methods in action and receiving immediate feedback from experts, partners can implement activities in their municipal pilot territories much more accurately and effectively.
Representatives of the Directorate of Žemaitija Protected Areas demonstrated the specialized equipment purchased within the project – a mower and a rake-tedder, which will be used to control Sosnowsky’s hogweed across three pilot territories in the Salantai Regional Park, covering a total area of 8.32 hectares. Additionally, to monitor efficiency, a drone purchased with project funds will be utilized. Specialists from the association “Ekosistemų apsaugos centras” (Ecosystem Protection Centre) are using it to monitor the species distribution density. Initial mapping in the pilot territories has already been completed, and after all eradication works are finished, a final drone flight will be conducted to compare data and visually assess the effectiveness of the applied methods.
During the fieldwork, while evaluating the results of previous hogweed control efforts, experts drew attention to the selection of appropriate methodologies in nature territories. As pointed out by Anete Pošiva-Bunkovska, an expert from LTD “Estonian, Latvian & Lithuanian Environment” (ELLE), chemical methods are generally not used in nature reserves and are strictly prohibited near water bodies, while mechanical eradication must be highly precise to avoid harming protected species and habitats. Furthermore, partners were introduced to the principles of optimal grassland management after the invasive species have been eradicated. To successfully restore the meadows, the removal of biomass is mandatory. Depending on the site-specific conditions, territories may require mowing 2–3 times a year, removal of shrub overgrowth, stump milling, and the sowing of natural grassland seed mixtures, which prevents the seeds of invasive plants from reactivating.
The schedule for upcoming demonstration events in partner territories:
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June 3 – Biržai District Municipality (Lithuania): practical activities dedicated to limiting the spread of the Spanish slug and Himalayan balsam.
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June 4 – Experience exchange events will continue in Latvia: the Jelgava Local Municipality will focus on combating the Spanish slug, while in the Dobele Local Municipality, partners will evaluate Sosnowsky’s hogweed eradication methods and their effectiveness.
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August 25 – Pakruojis and Šiauliai Municipalities (Lithuania): planned control of the spread of Sosnowsky’s hogweed, Canadian goldenrod, and the Spanish slug, as well as an assessment of the results of the pilot territory management works.
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September 23 – Bauska Local Municipality: a demonstration seminar dedicated to summarizing the season’s results regarding the Himalayan balsam and Canadian goldenrod, as well as the methodology for processing drone research data.
