Presentation
As gardening is considered to be a common and collective asset, its treatment and care fall to local entities. Urban greenery helps to restore nature the city, bringing indisputable environmental benefits with it, such as helping to regulate solar radiation, lower temperatures and suspended particle levels and acoustic filters in public spaces. Not to mention landscape value and the promotion of biodiversity in the urban environment.
The City Council is responsible for the maintenance and protection of urban vegetation and protecting them from and/or treating them for specific and more serious pests and diseases, while considering people’s health.
The integrated management of garden pests and diseases in Barcelona gives priority to practices and products that create fewer risks to people's health and the environment. Chemical methods are only used as a last resort. That is why, the Commission for Ecology, Urban Planning and Mobility gave its unanimous approval to eliminating the use of glyphosate and other toxic herbicides in Barcelona's green areas, streets and squares, with a commitment to seeking ecological and environmentally friendly alternatives that pose no threat to people's health.
The City Council coordinates its prevention, treatment and protection work in collaboration with other bodies and in accordance with the regulations established by the competent authorities. On a local level it follows the criteria and regulations set out in the Barcelona Green and Biodiversity Plan and the Barcelona Street-Tree Management Plan.
To ensure a steady reduction in the use of chemical products in the maintenance of street trees, the Barcelona City Council has a management programme at its disposal that plans the various strategies for dealing with pest-control and disease treatments. First, Integrated Control gives priority to using treatments with the lowest impact on the environment and the utmost safety when it comes to people's health.