CAPRICORN Operational Group: Study on methods for controlling the population of Cerambyx cerdo (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in the holm oak forests of the Pedroches Valley

The primary sector has evolved from a trade to a comprehensive activity that requires a harmonious balance of economic, environmental, and social sustainability. The sustainability of agrosystems requires the use of technological solutions that enable and facilitate the management of various activities, such as natural resource management, pest and disease detection, damage assessment, risk management, and so on. Currently, Spanish holm oak forests, and more specifically those in Andalusia (particularly Sierra Morena) and the Balearic Islands, are being heavily attacked by wood-eating insects of the Cerambyx Group, a coleopteran insect protected by the Habitats Directive (and the Bern Convention), which weakens and feeds on the wood of holm oaks.

At this time, the only way to control this insect is through systematic population control, felling diseased trees and eliminating larvae so they don't reach adulthood and lay more eggs, systematically reducing the number of specimens, which is currently very high. As a result of the rapid loss of trees, this innovative project proposes integrating artificial intelligence (AI) and image processing systems for the early detection of specimens affected by Cerambyx, along with a treatment system that combines an ultrasound-based methodology with endotherapy techniques. This project also addresses the economic and social importance of the dehesa given its surface area, which contributes to establishing the rural population, reducing migratory flows, and creating an agri-food and livestock industrial network.

Preventing and improving the health of holm oak forests will have a significant economic impact, as it will help produce a greater number of Iberian pigs finished during montanera, with the resulting social impact. It will also impact the agroforestry sector, contributing to the development of low-environmental-impact control methods (sustainability) and technologically advanced solutions (digitalization), as well as to sensor companies, whether local, regional, and/or national, given that the project proposes the use of new digital tools to better monitor the health of trees, enabling more efficient management of the state of Cerambyx disease in holm oak forests, detecting development problems, rot, and loss of vigor, as well as facilitating preventative measures.