CSI stands for Climateresearch ScienceInvestigation isand means something like "Going on the trail and examining invasive neophytes throughout the yearto find the best possible phenological time for an optimal removal method of non-native plant species that spread rapidly and uncontrollably.

To this end, the project team, together with the young people, investigated where the plants come from and how the plants “tick” (i.e., what their strategies are, what benefits and/or damage they can cause), how the growth behavior fits the weather and location, and what strategies the plants use to spread so successfully in nature.

On April 21, 2023, Johann Gasteiner, Direktor of HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, and Oliver Gulas, Managing Director of the Styrian Eisenwurzen Nature Park and Lead Partner of CSI PhänoBiota, opened the closing event.

The experts from the project partners Nature and Geopark Styrian Eisenwurzen, HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, GeoSphere Austria, Regionalmanagement Liezen, Styrian Mountain and Nature Watch and landscape planning consulting office LACON, together with the children and young people as well as their teachers and Direktorof the project partner schools, presented their results to the interested audience.

The experts from the project partners Nature and Geopark Styrian Eisenwurzen, HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, GeoSphere Austria, Regionalmanagement Liezen, Styrian Mountain and Nature Watch and landscape planning consulting office LACON, together with the children and young people as well as their teachers and Direktorof the project partner schools, presented their results to the interested audience.

Film contribution

A film entitled "Making Aliens Visible" provides an overall impression of the extensive activities and participating institutions.

In addition to the core team, the Torrent and Avalanche Control Service, the Styrian Nature Conservation Association and the District Chamber of Agriculture were also represented and made important contributions to the project and to the networking of education, research and practice.

The video greeting from the elementary school in Aigen im Ennstal, sharing their experiences in the project, demonstrates the great interest in the topic.

District Governor Christian Sulzbacher vividly described the unpleasant experiences and great dangers that can arise from invasive neophytes in the Liezen district, such as burns caused by giant hogweed, during the event.

Project implementation

The project team developed tools such as a teaching folder for educators, a fan of phenological phases (growth characteristics throughout the year) with instructions for the proper removal of selected plant species for our region (Liezen district).

Students from the College of Elementary Education (BAfFP Liezen) produced NawiTech boxes for kindergarten teachers.

Neophytes app

A smartphone app is used to enter observations of neophytes (locations), and programming courses for all age groups are offered.

The 10-season hedges were planted in school gardens and finally also at the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, where phenological surveys have been carried out for over 30 years and the data has been supplied to GeoSphere Austria (formerly ZAMG).

Goldenrod, Himalayan balsam, giant hogweed, ragweed (Ambrosia) and black locust were examined more closely.

As a research partner, HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, under the direction of Renate Mayer, supervised a total of five schools with different focuses.

Students from the Aigen im Ennstal primary school, the Irdning middle school, and the Stainach middle school received comprehensive instruction on the world of neophytes. In group studies, they researched and presented selected invasive neophyte species and observed the plants in their natural environment, comparing the growth patterns of their native counterparts, which have little chance of withstanding the competitive pressure. In closed containers, the young researchers investigated the growth patterns of Japanese knotweed, goldenrod species, and Himalayan balsam, documenting their findings using their own data collection forms.

The Admont Gymnasium visited the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein and set up an experiment with plant parts of Canadian goldenrod and Japanese knotweed in so-called rhizoboxes and visited the climate research site with its experiments.

There was also great interest in the success rates of control measures implemented by the Raumberg students. Every year, various measures are implemented, particularly in protected areas, to prevent the loss of native biodiversity.

Human activity, whether conscious or unconscious, is primarily responsible for the rapid spread of invasive neophytes, which can cause significant damage. This begins with planting them in private gardens as ornamental plants, grave decorations, or as forage (e.g., for bees). Green waste ends up on forest embankments or along waterways. Seeds and root fragments are transported further by excavated soil, water, or wind, a phenomenon particularly noticeable along railway and road routes. New plant species are constantly emerging, creating problems, displacing native species, triggering allergies, or causing substantial damage to agriculture. Climate change exacerbates these phenomena. Renate Mayer, an expert on neophytes at the HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein, hosted a radio program on this topic on Radio FreeQuenns in September 2022. There is still considerable room for improvement in research methods for combating these invasive plants!

Although EU Regulation (EU) No. 1143/2014 on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species exists, having entered into force on 1 January 2015 and being directly applicable in Austria, there are still no comprehensive, concrete instructions for action specific to each plant species, nor are there any obligations regarding preventive measures, monitoring of spread, or eradication measures.

It is therefore all the more important to get children and young people excited about the issue. The neophyte app can make a significant contribution in the future by helping to detect infestations so that appropriate measures can be taken immediately for their eradication. Because the gigantic, unnoticed growth and widespread success of Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, goldenrod, Canadian goldenrod, or giant hogweed (to name just a few plant species that directly affected us in the CSI PhänoBiota project), leading to monocultures, is almost impossible to control at a later stage.

It is very impressive to see the dedication with which the students experiment with complex scientific topics such as invasive neophytes and how they can immerse themselves in the subject matter, regardless of their age. They also devote all their energy to measures for their eradication.

We must utilize and promote this potential of young people for research participation. The project serves as a model for collaboration among all institutions to implement effective measures.

The project partners

Nature and Geopark Styrian Eisenwurzen (Project Management, Martin Gebeshuber), GeoSphere Austria, HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein (Renate Mayer), Styrian Mountain and Nature Watch, Regional Management Liezen, LACON.

  

The regional talent project CSI PhänoBiota is supported by the Ministry for Climate Protection and the FFG .

Poster with the results

 

 

Image credit: © L. Kniewasser/NUP Steirische Eisenwurzen