A person working in the green area services of the City of Lapua Maria Kylmäluoma and an active member of the Kurikka Nature Association Miska Rossinen-Kaihlamäki say that alien species cause significant harm to local species and landscapes. The most common and familiar species include lupine, giant balsam and dog rose.
Alien plants spread quickly and take over traditional native species, many of which are already endangered. Control work is complicated by extensive occurrences and seed banks, which is why the work requires long-term perseverance. In addition to volunteer work, the cities of Lapua and Kurikka have introduced an application that allows residents to control alien species in the city's areas during a certain period and receive a reward for their work based on the number of occurrences controlled. This has opened up summer job opportunities, especially for young people.
Kylmäluoma emphasizes the importance of preventing individual occurrences.
– The sooner individual plants are removed, the less they have a chance to spread. When seeds accumulate, first there is one plant, the next year there are a hundred, then a thousand and soon a million. That is why early control is important.
– It's not worth thinking too modestly, that your own work doesn't matter. When many of us do that small act, they add up to a large number of acts. Big rivers are born from small streams, adds Rossinen-Kaihlamäki.
Kylmäluoma and Rossinen-Kaihlamäki also highlight the valuable role of meadows in supporting biodiversity. Meadows provide habitat for numerous endangered species and pollinators, and their establishment can be achieved with surprisingly small actions.
– In Finland, the number of traditional biotopes, which include meadows, has collapsed in 100 years, 1%, states Rossinen-Kaihlamäki.
The message is clear: everyone's contribution is important. Even small actions in combating invasive species or managing meadows can collectively have a significant impact on the future of local nature.
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