LIFE medCLIFFS - LIFE20 NAT/ES/001223 - Towards an integrative management of Invasive Alien Plant Species in Mediterranean sea cliffs of European interest

1-ott-2021

30-set-2026

https://lifemedcliffs.org/en/ https://lifemedcliffs.org/en/project/ https://lifemedcliffs.org/en/context/invasive-flora/ https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/life/publicWebsite/project/LIFE20-NAT-ES-001223/towards-an-integrative-management-of-invasive-alien-plant-species-in-mediterranean-sea-cliffs-of-european-interest

LIFE medCLIFFS (LIFE20 NAT/ES/001223) is a LIFE Nature project, with a total budget of €1,408,273, implemented between October 2021 and September 2026 primarily in Catalonia, along the Costa Brava coast and within the Cap de Creus Natural Park. Coordination is entrusted to a partnership that includes the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council) as the technical point of contact. The main objective is to improve the management of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) that threaten the floristic diversity of the habitat of Community interest "Mediterranean sea cliffs with endemic Limonium spp. vegetation" (HIC 1240), one of the habitats most affected by this issue. The project is structured around 16 actions divided into four work areas: prevention, early detection, rapid response, and control of the most aggressive invasive species.

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The Costa Brava, a Mediterranean coastal strip of about 250 km in north-eastern Spain, constitutes an authentic hotspot for plant invasions. Mediterranean cliffs, a habitat of Community interest characterised by the presence of endemic species of the genus Limonium (including Limonium geronense and Limonium tremolsii, both strictly endemic in distribution and with populations numbering only a few hundred or thousand individuals), are particularly vulnerable to colonisation by ornamental plants and other alien species escaped from gardens or deliberately introduced. Managing this threat required an integrated approach capable of acting simultaneously on preventing new introductions, rapidly identifying emerging species, and controlling those already established in priority areas such as the Cap de Creus Natural Park.

• Very high pressure of alien plant species on the cliffs of the Costa Brava: the design work for monitoring transects alone led to the identification of 126 alien taxa, of which 24 constituted floristic novelties for the area (7 new to the Costa Brava, 7 for the province of Girona, 4 for Catalonia, 1 for Spain, 1 for the Iberian Peninsula, and 4 for Europe)
• Direct threat to endemic and critically endangered plant species, such as Limonium geronense (fewer than 1,000 individuals), Limonium tremolsii, and Seseli farrenyi, whose survival is endangered by competition with alien species
• Continuous introduction of new potentially invasive ornamental species from the gardening sector, in the absence of an updated regulatory framework and market instruments oriented towards biodiversity
• Absence, prior to the project, of a structured invasion risk assessment system and risk maps for priority species on the Costa Brava
• Lack of widespread participatory monitoring networks, necessary given the extent of the coast (over 100 transects of 1 km each) relative to available professional monitoring resources
• Need to address invasive species management within private gardens adjacent to natural areas, a context where traditional public management instruments show limited effectiveness

• Improve the management of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) threatening the habitat of Community interest of Mediterranean cliffs with Limonium spp. (HIC 1240)
• Develop tools to prevent the introduction of new invasive species, including a code of conduct for potentially invasive ornamental species, a "watch list", and a quality label, alongside pro-biodiversity market tools
• Establish participatory early detection networks (Observers Network and Expert Volunteers Network) to monitor the presence and evolution of invasive flora along the Costa Brava
• Develop an invasion risk assessment system and produce risk maps for 30 invasive and potentially invasive species in the area
• Control the most severe invasive plant species on the cliffs of Cap de Creus, using new protocols adapted to the context of Mediterranean cliffs
• Develop a coordinated strategy for the management of invasive species in private gardens bordering natural areas
• Assess the perception of the impact of invasive plant species on cultural ecosystem services associated with Mediterranean cliffs
• Promote the update of the regional regulatory framework and lay the foundations for the replicability of the model at national and European scales

The LIFE medCLIFFS project presents an integrated approach to the management of invasive alien plant species (IAPS), which addresses all four stages of the invasion cycle simultaneously (namely prevention, early detection, rapid response and control), rather than relying solely on ad hoc and reactive eradication measures, which are often ineffective in extensive and fragmented habitats such as coastal cliffs.



In terms of prevention, the project has focused directly on the source of the invasions: the ornamental nursery sector. The creation of a ‘Watch List’ of 39 non-native ornamental species showing evidence of invasive or potentially invasive behaviour - agreed upon with a working group of fifteen external experts - represents a soft governance tool that integrates scientific evidence and collaboration with the production sector, anticipating regulatory action through pro-biodiversity market-based instruments and voluntary codes of conduct.

The cornerstone of early detection is based on a citizen science model structured around two complementary networks: the Observers’ Network (LmON), open to the general public via the iNaturalist app for reporting up to 184 alien species, and the Expert Volunteers’ Network (LmVN), which employs a ‘transect adoption’ system - over 100 coastal transects, each 1 km long - for the systematic annual monitoring of 33 priority species. This two-tier model (general public + expert volunteers) has already proved highly effective, with the identification of 126 alien taxa and 24 new plant species during the transect planning phase alone, providing an unprecedented database for the Costa Brava.

The data collected by citizen science networks directly feed into the invasion risk assessment system and the associated risk maps for 30 target species, transforming participatory observation into an operational tool for planning control measures in the Cap de Creus Park. This cycle - ‘participatory monitoring → risk assessment → targeted intervention’ – constitutes a particularly relevant model for the surveillance and control of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) within Natura 2000 sites experiencing high tourist pressure and with limited professional monitoring resources, and serves as a good example of effective planning for participatory surveillance within protected areas.

• Identification of 126 alien flora taxa during the monitoring transects design phase alone, of which 24 constitute floristic novelties for the Costa Brava, the province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain, the Iberian Peninsula, or Europe
• Design and activation of over 100 monitoring transects of 1 km each along the coast, regularly monitored by volunteers of the LIFE medCLIFFS Volunteers' Network (LmVN) since 2023
• Creation of two complementary citizen science networks: the Observers Network (LmON), covering up to 184 alien species via the iNaturalist app, and the Expert Volunteers Network (LmVN), focused on 33 priority species
• Publication of the medCLIFFS Watch List of 39 non-native ornamental species at risk of invasiveness, developed with a working group of fifteen external experts
• Development and application of a simplified methodology, based on citizen science data, for the detection and monitoring of potentially invasive alien plant species, published in an international scientific journal
• Development of an invasion risk assessment system and production of risk maps for 30 invasive and potentially invasive species on the Costa Brava
• Launch of control operations against the most severe invasive plant species on the cliffs of Cap de Creus Natural Park, using new, adapted protocols
• Direct protection of populations of critically endangered endemic species (Limonium geronense, Limonium tremolsii, Seseli farrenyi), identified as priorities for alien species management interventions
• Definition of the bases for the replicability of the integrated management model for IAPS on Mediterranean cliffs at national and European scales

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