With cell phones in hand and walking shoes on their feet, nearly 120 students walked the Mont-Saint-Aignan campus (Seine-Maritime) and other sites in the town last weekend.
Divided into small groups, they do not hunt Pokémon, but invasive alien species (EEA) which, as their name suggests, tend to take up residence in natural spaces at the expense of local biodiversity.
And this time, it’s the plants that are in their sights.
Voluntarily imported in most cases by man, their development is favored by international trade which spreads seeds across the entire planet.
“When they find an environment favorable to their development, they have the capacity to colonize the space in the face of local plants which do not have the means to resist it because they are confronted with species which should not be found there", explains with pedagogy Estelle Forey, lecturer in life sciences at the University of Rouen, who with her geography colleague, Brian Chaize, set up this major outing in order to list the type and number of these “EEA” with the support of the Conservatory of Natural Spaces.
A precise map will be established
The idea was launched by Alexandre Padet, Biodiversity project manager at the T.URN Institute (Transitions Institute at the University of Rouen Normandy) which drives and coordinates the university's initiatives in terms of sustainable development.
“The idea is to better understand the environment on and around our different campuses in order to better preserve it and have a positive impact on biodiversity,” assures the young man while heading towards the undergrowth bordering the one of the university's gymnasiums to follow Edwidge and her comrades in their mission of the day.
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“For us, this is our first field trip.
It’s quite good to be in the concrete and to know that it will be useful,” assures the young student in L2 Life Sciences.
At his side, Pierre, in L2 Geography, uses the GPS on his phone via an application dedicated to this census to guide the group around the area assigned to them.
On site, Japanese knotweed and its impressive thorns, David's buddleia (better known as butterfly trees) and even cherry laurel, particularly popular for forming hedges, are present in large numbers.
Nothing dangerous – unlike plants such as giant hogweed whose leaves can cause severe burns – but the colonization of the sector is visibly underway.
“At the end of this operation, the data collected will be processed to establish a precise map which we will share with the Mont-Saint-Aignan green spaces service,” explains Alexandre Padet.
“His agents can then use it to establish an action plan to intervene to prevent the spread of these plants if he wishes.”