The second Sunday of March more than 1200 volunteers belonging to 30 land stewardship charities will take part in the environmental volunteering day Native Species Day, being Fragas do Mandeo one of those.
The Obra Social “la Caixa” and the Xarxa de Custòdia del Territori organize this initiative as part of the program Volunteering and Land Stewardship, within their project Network Weaving for land stewardship in Spain 2015-1016. This program objective is to involve civil society in the conservation of our natural heritage, spreading the word about the importance of its conservation, its social values and how land stewardship can help to achieve these goals.
The event consists of volunteering actions performed at different areas in land stewardship during the same day, with the aim of removing invasive exotic species ―since these are one of the main causes of biodiversity loss across the globe―, planting local varieties and restoring habitats.
So, we will take the opportunity to get to the River Mendo banks to eradicate various non-native species from purchased land plots. We have already uprooted from them Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora, Ligustrum ovalifolium and Buddleja davidii, so we will get back there to complete their eradication, removing also a bed of Tradescantia fluminensis and we will dry some specimens of Eucaliptus globulus, Robinia pseudoacacia and Platanus x hispanica. As usual, we will remove all the litter we can find. All this effort will result in the restoration of the riparian wood, which is considered priority habitat and which is home to several endangered species.
The meeting point will be the Outpatient Clinic of Betanzos, where we can share cars. May be there aren’t enough tools for all, so try to take an axe or a hand saw. It is also advisable to wear leather gloves, clothes and shoes suitable for working in the wood, and don’t forget to take a snack and drink for the mid-morning break.
If you are interested in actively preserving our biodiversity, please join us during this environmental volunteering day by sending us your data (complete name, ID, birth date and mobile phone number). Thus, you will be informed on last minute changes, you will be covered by an accident insurance policy and you will facilitate organization. In section Contact you will find the necessary information.
Meeting point: Outpatient Clinic in Betanzos.
Date: March 13th, 2016.
Time: We will be leaving at 9.30 a.m., coming back at 2 p.m.
