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San Javier is launching a new offensive to protect its palm trees from the red palm weevil, one of the biggest threats to ornamental palms in south eastern Spain. The Ayuntamiento has put out to tender a contract worth just over €160,000, to fund a comprehensive programme of prevention and treatment across the municipal palm grove.

 

The plan will cover all palm trees owned by the Ayuntamiento, from Phoenix dactylifera and Phoenix canariensis to different Washingtonia varieties, Livistona, Trachycarpus fortunei and even coconut palms and their offshoots. These trees, spread through parks, gardens, natural areas and roadside plantings, are all vulnerable to Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, the red palm weevil that bores into trunks and can kill a palm if it is not treated in time.

 

The contract sets out preventive, palliative and curative work with a clear double aim: to save as many palms as possible and to secure the long term future of the town’s palm landscape. The Ayuntamiento stresses that measures must minimise environmental impact, especially given the proximity of the Mar Menor, and avoid risks for people, pets and surrounding wildlife.

 

One of the key tools will be endotherapy, where phytosanitary products are injected directly into the trunk instead of being sprayed. This allows the pest to be tackled from the inside while reducing chemical drift and the chance of contamination. The tender also includes biological control methods, such as using nematodes and the fungus Beauveria bassiana as curative treatments against the insect.

 

Companies that win the contract will have to work closely with municipal technicians and follow the instructions of the contract manager at all times.

 

The initial term of the contract is two years from formal award, with the option of two further annual extensions up to a maximum of four years on the same conditions. With this investment, the Ayuntamiento of San Javier aims to strengthen a long term strategy “to halt the spread of the red palm weevil and guarantee the conservation of the palm grove,” consolidating protection for one of the municipality’s most recognisable natural assets.

 

 

Image: wikicommons