Asturias, Spain

About the Program
The DuPont de Nemours, Inc. complex in Asturias, Spain, began a monitoring program in 2006 to assess the La Furta wetlands and 300 acres of surrounding forest on which it is located. The team engages in active management of invasive species that threaten the ecosystem, including the pine processionary and Asian hornet. Employees and partners have also removed invasive vegetation replanted areas with over 600 native trees. DuPont welcomes outside organizations on-site for educational programs and additionally offers in-habitat walking tours to its employees. 

Practices and Impacts

• Since 1999, DuPont has started to control invasive plants present in the Tamón Valley, such as cape ivy and pampas grass, effectively eliminating both species. The program has expanded to include eucalyptus, butterfly bush and other species as they appear during monitoring. The team uses a combination of physical clearing and herbicides with minimal toxicity. 
• The team collaborates with the local government and hunting groups to implement an effective wild boar eradication program. 
• The pine processionary, an invasive species of moth, was first recorded on site in 2012. Since then, Dupont has instituted an annual eradication program in which males are caught in trap bags and removed. The program expanded in 2018 to include another invasive species, the yellow-legged hornet (also called the Asian predatory wasp). The team removes approximately 10-12 hornet nests each year and submits monitoring data to AVISAP.