Abstract:
Cortaderia selloana (pampas grass), native to South America, is a widespread invasive plant in several regions of the World, including the south of the Atlantic Arc (Europe), where it has been used as an ornamental species. Citizens may help to spread it, e.g., planting it in their gardens, but on the other hand, when they are aware of its invasiveness, can contribute to control it and prevent its spread. An online survey was performed to better understand the perception and knowledge of Portuguese and Spanish citizens, regarding pampas grass. The influence of education and occupation, along with age, gender and country of residence, on the knowledge and perceptions of respondents was analysed. The questionnaire was answered by 486 and 839 citizens in Portugal (PT) and Spain (ES), respectively. Most respondents were between 41 and 64 years old, mostly women in Portugal and equally women and men in Spain, with higher education and working mostly in the services sector. The majority of respondents in both countries recognized the plant, knew it is invasive and were able to name it, alerting to a possible bias of the target audience toward citizens already aware of the invasiveness of the pampas grass. Fewer respondents were aware of the legislation that limits its use, and most were unable to identify particular characteristics of the species. The results showed that respondents\' occupation in PT and education in ES influenced their knowledge and perception about pampas grass. This study confirms that education and raising awareness regarding invasive species is of utmost importance, as respondents identified academic training and projects with a strong focus on public awareness as the main sources of knowledge regarding pampas grass. Better informed citizens can be part of the solution rather than part of the problem, especially regarding invasive species with such ornamental interest as pampas grass.
UNASSIGNED: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10530-023-03025-3.
摘要:
Cortaderiaselloana(pampasgrass),原产于南美洲,是世界上几个地区广泛入侵的植物,包括大西洋弧(欧洲)的南部,在那里它被用作观赏物种。公民可能会帮助传播它,例如,把它种植在他们的花园里,但另一方面,当他们意识到它的侵入性时,可以有助于控制它并防止它的传播。进行了一项在线调查,以更好地了解葡萄牙和西班牙公民的看法和知识,关于潘帕斯草。教育和职业的影响,随着年龄的增长,性别和居住国家,对受访者的知识和看法进行了分析。调查问卷由葡萄牙(PT)和西班牙(ES)的486和839名公民回答,分别。大多数受访者年龄在41至64岁之间,大多数是葡萄牙的女性,同样是西班牙的女性和男性,受过高等教育,主要在服务业工作。两国的大多数受访者都认可该工厂,知道它是侵入性的,并且能够命名它,提醒目标受众对已经意识到潘帕斯草侵入性的公民可能存在偏见。更少的受访者知道限制其使用的立法,大多数人无法确定该物种的特定特征。结果表明,受访者在PT中的职业和在ES中的教育程度影响了他们对潘帕草的知识和看法。这项研究证实,关于入侵物种的教育和提高认识是至关重要的,由于受访者将重点关注公众意识的学术培训和项目确定为有关潘帕斯草的主要知识来源。更知情的公民可以成为解决方案的一部分,而不是问题的一部分,特别是关于具有观赏兴趣的入侵物种,如潘帕斯草。
■在线版本包含补充材料,可在10.1007/s10530-023-03025-3获得。