Hidden amidst the pre-Pyrenean mountain ranges—the Cadí, Pedraforca, and Port del Comte mountains—lies the Vansa-Tuixent Valley, a delightful place steeped in forests, meadows, and villages frozen in time. And it is here, for the past four years, thatDefendemos la Vansa Association organizes grassroots raids with neighbors, ranchers, farmers, and vacationers to combat a seemingly harmless yellow flora—one of the 20 most dangerous plants in Catalonia—that has become a plague threatening to poison this natural setting and wipe out the local economy.

What species are invading and what dangers do they face? This was one of the main questions that two experts tried to answer at an event organised this Tuesday by the ARA and the Institut d'Estudis Catalans (IEC). And the answer, as always, is found in humans. Because it is theHomo sapiens who decided to build, and expand, and expand again the Suez Canal so that goods from the Indian Ocean could easily reach the Mediterranean, which caused many species from the East to also travel, by sea or stuck under ships, to the West. It has also been humans who have decided to buy, for purely aesthetic reasons, ornamental plants from other continents that have now become their own. And, once again, it is human action that has caused a climate emergency that heats the waters and disrupts ecosystems.

This summer will undoubtedly be a mosquito season. The frequent rainfall in Catalonia during spring, alongside high temperatures, will lead to a high number of insects. On the other hand, the heat will also mean cockroaches, rats and other rodents. The Catalan Association of Environmental Health Companies (Adepap) emphasises that in most cases (especially mosquitoes and rodents) these are species that transmit viruses and diseases, and therefore recommends taking preventive measures and relying on specialised professionals to combat pests and carry out disinfections.

Adding the blue crab to rice, fish broths and other culinary recipes has helped combat the plague that threatens the ecosystems in the Ebro Delta. The years-long war against this crustacean fishermen have been waging may have found a new ally. Tests carried out by researchers at the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroaliamentàries (IRTA) have shown that octopuses are natural predators of the blue crab, which they are capable of eating in large quantities if necessary: "A single octopus can eat up to 33% of its weight in crab meat in a single day", explains project coordinator Patrícia Prado.