Every year, the LIFE BEETLES project, coordinated by the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Action, monitors its most pristine intervention area, near Lagoa do Caiado, on the island of Pico, to detect the presence of invasive species.
In 2021, the presence of Kahili Ginger (Hedychium gardnerianum) was detected. The identified outbreaks were targeted for intervention, with the rhizomes being removed manually. In the following years, continuous monitoring of the area was carried out, assessing the recovery of the soil and the surrounding flora and fauna.
Several species of endemic and native flora emerged from the natural seed bank. Although some Kahili Ginger seeds also germinated initially, these were promptly removed.
Four years later, soil covered by native species is now almost 100%, with some specimens of Azorean Heather (Erica azorica) already reaching 20 cm.
At the same time, the population of Azorean Buckthorn (Frangula azorica) and Azorean Spurge (Euphorbia stygiana) was reinforced, the latter in collaboration with the LIFE IP AZORES NATURA project. Recent monitoring has revealed very positive results, with some specimens of Azorean Buckthorn reaching impressive heights.
The results of the biological monitoring of arthropods in the intervention area will be released shortly.
