Invasive plants in Mediterranean cliffs
An invasive plant is a plant species with a high capacity for adaptation, which grows and spreads more efficiently than other plants.
Invasive plants usually are non-native species coming from other areas that have been introduced to the place where they become invasive.
Not all non-native plants become invasive. Many non-native plants coexist with native plants without causing any damage to ecosystems.
However, some non-native plants do or may have a negative effect on the natural habitat into which they have been introduced. In this case, a plant is considered invasive.
In Catalonia (NE Spain), a total of 812 non-native plant species have been identified, 90 of which are considered invasive, although not all of them are listed in any legislation. Around 30 invasive plant species are present in the Catalan coastline and have especial impact in the habitat of community interest of Mediterranean cliffs with endemic Limonium spp. (HCI 1240), which is representative of the Costa Brava and Cap de Creus areas.
