Project LIFE TETIDE on Capraia, management of invasive plants species in Mediterranean island ecosystems.

The project TETIDE “Turning Eradication Targets Into Durable Effects” is a LIFE project involving numerous partners throughout the Mediterranean basin (in Italy, Malta and Croatia) and focusing on the conservation of habitats and native species through the management of invasive alien species and the involvement of island communities in active conservation efforts. Among the project tasks, the work package 3 aims to increase the conservation status of 7 Natura 2000 habitats on Capraia Island throughout the control and eradication of invasive alien plants (IAPs: Opuntia stricta, Opuntia ficus-indica, Zantedeschia aethiopica, Nicotiana glauca and Chasmanthe floribunda). To fulfil this purpose the WP3 foresees i) the creation of an updated map of the target invasive species, in preparation for their removal ii) local control of Chasmanthe floribunda in public areas of Capraia settlement iii) planting of native species in areas subjected to removal of IAS iv) distribution of native plants with ornamental values to the citizen. Furthermore, WP10 foresees the monitoring of the habitats most impacted by this species. To date, the impacts of these species have been analyzed within the PNRR CN5-NBFC-spoke 7 project. The results regarding the impact on native vegetation show that, although value for species richness and Shannon diversity index were not found significant, the species composition is significantly different between invaded and control plots. In particular, the plant community is more homogeneous in the invaded plots than in the controls, maybe because of the apparent replacement of the shrub layer of Mediterranean scrub vegetation due to the O. stricta occurrence.