More than 15,000 conyza shoots were removed from the Cíes Islands during conservation actions carried out as part of the environmental volunteer camps of the Atlantic Islands National Park. The intervention focuses on a non-native species that has found favorable conditions for its expansion on the islands and that requires continuous monitoring.
The volunteers' work consisted mainly of manually removing the plants, an action that is especially important before they complete their life cycle and release new seeds. Conyza has a high capacity for colonization and can easily reappear in areas where work has already been carried out, so the initial removal must be followed by subsequent inspections.
Native to North America, the genus Conyza is currently widespread in Galicia. Among the species present is Conyza canadensis, which is capable of producing numerous seeds that can be carried by the wind over considerable distances. This ease of dispersal means that controlling the plant is a medium- and long-term task.
On the Cíes Islands, the presence of introduced plant species is especially significant because of the unique nature of the island ecosystems. The expansion of conyza can increase competition with native flora and alter the plant communities that developed naturally in the archipelago.
Its removal is part of a broader set of actions to control exotic flora that have been carried out in the National Park, including measures targeting Carpobrotus edulis, Acacia melanoxylon, Eucalyptus globulus, Zantedeschia aethiopica, Arctotheca calendula, and Helichrysum petiolare.
These interventions are part of habitat conservation measures for the Atlantic Islands and of the Life Insular and Life Global projects, which seek to reduce the pressure of invasive species and promote the preservation of the archipelago's natural values.
