Significant presence of non-native wildlife and vegetation
The considerably ornamental nature of the trees in the city's streets, parks and gardens, the fashion for indoor plants -with temperate requirements throughout the year- means that many of the plants in Barcelona are non-native rather than autochthonous, with a very wide range of geographical origins. Just a small sample of the trees in our streets is suffice to show their diverse geographical origins: acacias (Robinia
pseudoacacia) are originally from North America, rosewood trees (Tipuana
tipu) from South America and Japanese Pagodatree (Sophora
japonica) from East Asia, to name but a few of the commonest species.
Floss silk tree (Chorisa speciosa),
originally from
South America, in the Pas de Sota Muralla in
Ciutat Vella, the city's old quarter.
As far as wildlife is concerned, the fashion for pets which began in the last quarter of the twentieth century has brought non-native animals (hamsters, iguanas, pythons, red-eared sliders, budgerigars, parrots, etc.) to many homes in Barcelona.
The intentional release of these animals because their owners get bored of them, or because of plain carelessness as when pet trade animals escape, has allowed the establishment of non-native species within the city. One of the best examples are the Psittaciformes, that is budgerigars, parrots, cockatoos and parakeets. Six species de Psittacines currently nest in Barcelona: the rose-ringed (or ring-necked) parakeet (Psittacula
krameri), the monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus), the blue-crowned conure (Aratinga
acuticaudata), the mitred parrot (Aratinga mitrata), the red-masked parrot (Aratinga
erythrogenys) and the Senegal parrot (Poicephalus
senegalus). All are South-American in origin, bar the ring-necked parakeet which is African and Asian, and the Senegal parrot which is African. Most numerous by far is the monk parakeet (Myiopsitta
monachus) which bred in the city for the first time in 1974 from a group of escapees. The current population is estimated at between 1,200 and 1,700 individuals.
Monk parakeet (Myiopsitta
monachus)
Some of these recently-introduced species can become a problem for other non-native species, either because they compete for space or for food, or because they prey on them. An example of competition for food and space is the red-eared slider (Trachemys
scripta), a terrapin introduced into our ponds and which could drive the stripe-necked terrapin (Mauremys
caspica) to extinction. As for predation, special mention goes to the domestic cat (Felis
catus), descendant of an African species and present in large numbers in the city's parks and gardens, which causes a severe impact on populations of birds, small reptiles and mammals.
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