"Do you allow us to pull it out?": when the fight against an invasive plant begins to bear fruit

The Ravinette valley is surrounded by rough brambles and tall grass. You have to clear a path to reach the water flowing peacefully on this summer day. Not a fool, the giant hogweed loves the coolness of the ditch. This plant has made itself at home on the banks of rivers and at the edge of woods, in Andon (Alpes-Maritimes). But it is classified as an invasive exotic plant species , as its parasol-shaped and parasol-sized flowers proliferate on the first foothills of the department, far from its native Eurasian mountain range.

As every year, the Conservatoire d'espaces naturels (CEN) Paca is organizing a "fight against giant hogweed" project. Botanists and volunteers are conducting identification and uprooting operations. We look up at the right bank. A stalk protrudes from the vegetation.