Experts from Bordighera, Menton, Monaco, Antibes, Hyères and the Port-Cros National Park attended a meeting in the Principality on Friday to discuss the growing threat to the region’s palm trees.

Robert Castellan of the Phoenix gardens in Bordighera, summed up the severity of the problem when he said: “If we cannot find a solution, all the palm trees in the region will disappear.”

Palm trees are under threat from a range of pests, in particular the red weevil, which found its way to PACA from its native Indonesia. According to a regional steering committee, 5,500 palm trees are now affected, an increase of 500 percent in just five years.

The meeting of Monaco brought together the curators of a number of botanical gardens along the coast, with the aim of sharing experiences and discussing possible solutions.  Sylvie Mazalon of the association Sauvons nos palmiers told the meeting that once a tree is infected, it’s usually too late to save it. Cross-border cooperation will be essential in finding ways to combat the menace, the meeting was told.

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