These are a garden centre in Ibiza and its supplier, based on the mainland—the fine amounts to 7,000 euros.
The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment, through the Directorate General for the Natural Environment and Forestry Management, has fined two nurseries, one located in Ibiza and the other, in this case, the supplier, in Gerona, for selling invasive flora. The fine is 3,000 euros for the establishment in Ibiza and 4,000 euros for the one on the mainland. Specifically, it concerns the sale of Pennisetum villosum (cat’s tail), which has been included since 2013 in the Spanish catalogue of invasive alien species. Its possession, transport, traffic and trade are prohibited in the Balearic Islands.
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The Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment sanction two nurseries for selling invasive flora
The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Natural Environment, Joan Simonet, stressed that ‘invasive species are one of the most serious threats to biodiversity and are the second cause of the disappearance of wild species. In the Balearic Islands, their impact is even more serious due to the island’s nature and the native biodiversity is less prepared to face the new threats. In this sense, invasive species take advantage of the vulnerability caused by geographic isolation to act as a competitors or predator on native species, many of which are protected from extinction.
The case of the grass Pennisetum villosum (and other species of this genus) is particularly worrying because of its great capacity for dispersal and adaptation to natural environments, as it is capable of tolerating unfavourable situations and modifying the ecological conditions of the places it colonises. It forms dense clumps of long leaves and white inflorescences covered with hairs, which can form large uniform stands and replace their plant communities. Pennisetum villosum, native to North Africa and Arabia, was introduced into Spain as an ornamental plant for gardens, but having escaped from these areas it has naturalised and shows great colonising potential due to the volatility of its fruits and the robustness of its rhizomes.
The problems of invasive species in the Balearic Islands have intensified in recent years due to trade, globalisation, tourism and climate change. For all these reasons, Simonet pointed out, ‘the competent administrations must continue implementing conservation measures for protected and catalogued species, as well as measures to control and eradicate invasive species’.
It should be remembered that the Regional Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Natural Environment has created the Línea Verde COFIB mobile application, a citizen’s tool that allows anyone to report the presence of invasive species to the Administration. In this way, a faster response can be given to the detection alerts received.