The island of Ibiza has been subjected in recent years to the silent invasion of some invasive species with a very significant capacity to alter the natural environment. Considered the second cause of biodiversity loss in the world, invasive alien species (IAS) pose a threat to the native species that make up our ecosystems, a fact that is aggravated in island ecosystems. In addition, they can cause serious damage to the economy, especially to agricultural, livestock and forestry production, and even to public health.

The target species of this project are Pennisetum setaceum and Pennisetum villosum, grasses with a high invasive capacity that affect a good part of the island of Ibiza and even appear in public and private garden areas. On the other hand, we have the recently introduced snakes, the horseshoe snake Hemorrhois hypocrepis and the ladder snake Zamenis scalaris, which not only seriously threaten the survival of the endemic species of lizards (symbol of the Pitiusas Islands) but also create a significant social alarm.

The main objectives are:

• Update the cartography of the current distribution of Pennisetum on the island of Ibiza.
• Achieve its eradication and/or control and involve all the administrations and sectors affected in the eradication of the species.
• Enclose the control areas of invasive snakes with control traps.
• Reduce the density/rarify the presence of these species in Ibiza.
• Monitor the population trend of the Pitiusa lizard in different sectors of the island.
• Involve the population in the control of these species and collaborate in research programs.

The scope of application where the actions of eradication and/or control of Pennisetum and the control of the density of snakes will be carried out will be throughout the island of Ibiza. The project “Control of invasive species in the Pitiusas” is financed by the Sustainable Tourism Tax and coordinated by COFIB (Consorci per la Recuperació de la Fauna de les Illes Balears), under the direction of the Species Protection Service of the General Directorate of Natural Spaces and Biodiversity. It has a duration of 36 months, starting in 2021 and ending in May 2024.