LIFE IP AZORES NATURA reinforces populations of Lactuca watsoniana on Pico Island

July 1, 2022

The Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change, through the LIFE IP AZORES NATURA project, carried out a planting action of the endemic and protected species Lactuca watsoniana in the central plateau of Pico island.

To prepare the ground, over the weeks preceding this planting, some invasive species were removed from the site, namely Hedychium gardnerianum, and then two populations of Lactuca watsoniana were reinforced with a total of 103 individuals, planted in small clusters of 10-14 individuals each.

This site will now be permanently monitored to ensure the maintenance of these plantations and the success of the renaturalisation of the intervened area.

This work was developed under action C3.2 (In-situ Conservation) of the project, which aims to reinforce the populations of endemic species in strategic locations to ensure the improvement of the conservation status, on the ground, of species in an unfavourable conservation status of the Habitats Directive.