Under Action E5 – Public engagement and volunteering program, four French students, Les Ami’go of the School TS Gestion et Protection de la Nature, spent three weeks on Corvo and Flores in several invasive flora removal actions, helping the LIFE IP AZORES NATURA project in its conservation actions.

Manon, Iris, Pierre and Mathieu visited, between 13 February and 3 March, the Western Group of the Azores archipelago, integrating themselves into the project’s actions as part of a volunteering internship.

Thus, and throughout their stay, several invasive species removal actions were promoted under the LIFE IP AZORES NATURA project and in collaboration with the Flores and Corvo Environment and Climate Change Services, having removed a volume of 5 m³ of invasive species on Flores and 1400 kg on Corvo, consisting of about 1.5 ha of intervened areas.

The main species removed in these three weeks of voluntary work were: 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘺𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘺𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘢, Bugweed (𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘮 𝘮𝘢𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘮), 𝘋𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘮 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘮, Kahili Ginger (𝘏𝘦𝘥𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘶𝘮 𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘶𝘮) and Hydrangea (𝘏𝘺𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘭𝘢).