29 April 2019

From April 15 to 18, the PonDerat staff (this time the botanics from DBA team Sapienza University of Rome) carried out a field survey in Ventotene and Santo Stefano to check the possible regeneration of Carpobrotus stands and monitor vegetation recovery in eradicated areas. Except for sea cliffs, which require external assistance for eradication, no Carpobrotus was found in the natural and seminatural areas, whereas native vegetation with beautiful blooming of Lotus cytisoides and Matthiola tricuspidata expanded in coastal habitats. Sampling regularly 10 permanent plots established in 2017 in eradicated areas will enable to analyse vegetation recovery over time in quantitative terms. The DBA team also eradicated some Carpobrotus in Santo Stefano from the marginal areas of sea-cliff populations that will be completely removed by specialised personnel working with ropes in a later stage of the project.