Defining invasive alien species from the roots up: Lessons from the ‘De-eucalyptising Brigades’ in Galicia, Spain

Abstract

Social and cultural perspectives are increasingly considered in the literature on invasive alien species (IAS), after decades of being underexplored. However, within this growing body of research, there is little investigation into the role and knowledge of everyday rural and environmentalist networks in defining and engaging with or against the expansion of IAS. This paper contributes to debates on the political and spatial implications of this concept, through a critical examination of the bottom-up initiative of the 'De-eucalyptising Brigades' (Galicia, Spain), which aims to remove eucalyptus trees from community-based property lands. A survey of participants of this movement paired with semi-structured interviews show the relevance of social-cultural dynamics in defining IAS. Our results also show how investigating activism against forestry involving a potential IAS sheds light on the everyday conflicts around who defines IAS and how they are defined.

Keywords

Invasive species; Eucalyptus; Environmentalism; Political ecology; Conflict

Published in

Political Geography
2022, volume: 99, article number: 102746
Publisher: ELSEVIER SCI LTD

SLU Authors

• González Hidalgo, Marien

  • Department of Urban and Rural Development, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

UKÄ Subject classification

Ecology
Political Science (excluding Public Administration Studies and Globalization Studies)

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2022.102746

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/119327