Integrated management of garden pests and diseases in Barcelona

The treatment service for trees, palm trees, shrubs, perennials and grass, along the city's roads as well as in its parks and gardens, is based on the concept of “integrated pest management". This a municipal service is part of the maintenance and conservation work for all this plant life.

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.

Presentation

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.

Classification of pests and diseases

The Barcelona Municipal Institute of Parks and Gardens classes plant pests and diseases into three groups, according to the harm they cause.

Prevention of pests and diseases: selecting species

Preventing pests and diseases that affect the city's great diversity of plant species starts with their selection for planting.

 

Criteria for Integrated Pest and Disease Control

The established criteria for determining the course of action and corresponding treatment to be taken are: tolerance threshold, tree placement, impact of a pest on a tree's structure and effects from quarantine pests. 

 

Treatment

Phytosanitary treatments have evolved in recent years and they now include new methods and technologies, along with a steady reduction and limitation in the use of chemical products.

Information for citizens

Pedestrian areas are temporarily restricted and streets are closed during treatments with pesticides, weather chimical or spraying, in order to avoid discomfort.

Legislation

Legislation regulating the use of pesticides treatments is contained in legal texts.