Invasive species are the second cause of biodiversity loss in the world, says expert
Las especies invasoras son la segunda causa de pérdida de biodiversidad en el mundo, según una experta
Invasive species are the second cause of biodiversity loss in the world, says expert
Concha Durán, from the CHE, confirms that more than two million euros have been allocated in the Ebro basin to combat zebra mussels.
"The incursion of invasive species is the second cause of biodiversity loss in the world", said Concha Durán, biologist and head of the Ecological Service of the Ebro Hydrographic Confederation (CHE), at the University of Navarra. The expert, who spoke at conference on invasive freshwater species organized by the School of Sciences, spoke on "The zebra mussel in the Ebro Basin, status current populations and assessment of the measures of management".
According to the specialist, the socioeconomic impact of this species is evident, but so is its environmental impact. "Contrary to the widespread idea that the zebra mussel cleans the water, what happens is that the filtering it causes destroys the phytoplankton in the basins and, therefore, the base of the food chain that sustains the other species. At the same time, its filtering effect increases the transparency of the water and, with it, the presence of submerged algae, very harmful to other species and crops".
Regarding the economic losses caused by this crustacean, he stressed that in the case of the CHE the money invested to eradicate it exceeds two million euros: a sum dedicated mainly to control and prevention. The irrigators, for their part, "have employee large sums to install control systems using chlorine and hydrogen peroxide. A 'treatment' that kills the zebra mussel 100% in closed systems (ponds, irrigation canals, etc.), but not in rivers -the source of the problem-, where it is not possible to use it because of the environmental damage it would cause", she explained.
status of the zebra mussel in Navarra
Concha Durán spoke about the current status of the zebra mussel, which since 2001 -when its presence was discovered in Spanish river basins- has affected six large basins of the Ebro. However, he confirmed that "this year only one positive has been found in a new sub-basin in Catalonia". In the case of Navarra, he added that it is present in the basins, reservoirs and canals supplied by the Tauste and Imperial canals, which means a significant economic outlay for irrigation communities such as that of Tudela.
Finally, in relation to the methods to put an end to the invasion of the zebra mussel, Concha Durán insisted that the use of chlorine and hydrogen peroxide only kills it at its destination, not at the source (river basins), for which there is no effective method. "Hope lies in the research that is being developed mostly in U.S. centers and that points to toxins generated by Pseudomonas fluorescens bacteria as a possible treatment against the crustacean in open waters," she said.
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