May 24, 2024 — Fifty third-year ESO (Obligatory Secondary Education) students from the Félix Muriel Secondary School in Rianxo participated this morning in a black locust (Acacia melanoxylon) removal day in the archaeological site of the Mámoas (Neolithic burial mounds) of Monte da Pena, within the Leiro ‘monte vecinal’.

The activity was organized by the Barbanza Ecosocial Laboratory and the Monte Vivo project at the Rianxo center. The objective of this project is to link educational practice with the territory and communities, promoting a more active and participatory learning model.

The students (accompanied by teachers, members of the governing board of Leiro, and the Montescola team) had the opportunity to learn about the significant problem posed by the proliferation of invasive exotic species such as the black acacia, exemplified in the major fire of 2019, and to apply the debarking technique for its elimination and control. In fact, throughout the morning, the students debarked almost 500 acacia trees, an intervention that will continue with future initiatives.

These calls for citizen participation are part of the Barbanza Ecosocial Laboratory’s line of action, led by Montescola, which aims to promote networking. Through these initiatives, the Laboratory deepens its integration into local social dynamics, directly involving the participating communities.