As programmed, yesterday we got to the spot of Chelo (Coirós) to carry on with the elimination of montbretia, helped by the Grupo Naturalista Hábitat (Hábitat Naturalist Group). The eleven adults and two children who took part in this day collected a total of 18 kg of tubers, so, on the basis of the calculation of one kilo, that meant 8,748 less tubers of this exotic invasive plant. But most importantly, with this action the leisure area, the left bank of the River Mandeo from the footbridge to the mill and the right bank up to the Teixeiro Bridge are now free from it. Obviously, we have to watch out for any possible reappearance, since there may always be some tubers left.
This morning we went back to the River Mandeo. In the early morning we gave a talk on land stewardship and the work done by Fragas do Mandeo to the students of the Leisure Time Instructors Course, given by the Escuela Querqus (Querqus School) at the Youth Centre of Betanzos. Afterwards, we went on to the spot of Chelo, so they could get acquainted with that natural area and its biodiversity, focusing on the importance of highlighting the natural values of the areas they visit when acting as instructors. We didn´t have time to get on with the removal of invasive exotic species, but we explained how we organize our activities and we encouraged them to program environmental volunteering days in favour of nature throughout their future careers.
