INVASOR-ES Operational Group: Resilience 4.0 of infrastructure and crops against invasive species

The project addresses a major national and European problem: the proliferation of Invasive Alien Species (IAS) (the best known being the zebra mussel) in inland waters and their harmful effects on irrigation systems. According to the Spanish Malacological Society, the zebra mussel alone has caused losses of €1.6 billion in the United States.

In Spain, the Ministry of the Environment allocated €300 million to combat the species between 2003 and 2006, allocating an additional €100 million annually to control the zebra mussel invasion. The estimated economic impact on susceptible irrigation systems (sprinkler, drip, and localized irrigation) is approximately €60 million annually. It is worth noting the presence of some "traditional" IAS animals (not riparian plants or algae) that have been persistently present for 23 years and have spread to almost all peninsular basins.

The main traditional IAS are the well-known zebra mussel and the Asian clam. However, the list is now joined by the more recent appearance of other "emerging" invasive species, such as the apple snail, which also originated in the Ebro River and is spreading throughout Spanish basins with known impacts on rice production in the Ebro Delta, or bryozoans, which are already affecting various basins. An invasive species can interact with the environment in various ways when introduced. In the best-case scenario, it adapts to the new environment and eventually achieves relative equilibrium with the preexisting community without significantly altering it. However, these invasions are characterized, among other things, by high growth rates, great adaptability, a strong dispersal capacity, and the absence of natural enemies in the new ecosystem, whether predators or resource competitors, thus spreading rapidly and effectively occupying the territory.

Impacts are classified based on the irrigation method: flooding, sprinkler, and drip. Regardless of the irrigation intake, grids, and gates in canals with different irrigation systems, where sprinkler, drip, or pressure irrigation predominates, the affected facilities include distribution pipes, valves, pressure and lift pumps, filters, and sprinklers. The cost typology associated with the aforementioned impacts primarily refers to increased labor costs for maintenance and operation, as well as inputs for cleaning and removal.