by Y.C. Frey, M. Hofer, J.L. Pittas, V. Büche
Dangerous neophytes receive intermittent media attention, warning people of their dangers. There is no shortage of invasive species in Switzerland but the two most dangerous in Zurich are Common Ragweed and Giant Hogweed. Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) originates from the mountainous West-Caucasus region. It was introduced to Europe in the early 19th century as a decorative plant. Common Ragweed (Artemisia ambrosiifolia) came to Europe in 1863 with transatlantic traders from to North America, where its pioneer abilities enabled it to become a common crop field pest.
But how likely are the people of Zurich to be at risk from dangerous plants like these? In this blog, we investigate the threats present in our parks and gardens. We examine how these two invasive neophyres have spread across Zurich over time, explore how effectively control measures limit their dispersal, and ask how much of an actual health risk these neophytes currently pose to people. By analysing spatial and temporal data, alongside known ecological and medical risks, we assess both the distribution dynamics of these neophytes and their relevance for public health in Zurich.
To learn more, take a look at the in-depth blog post that we produced in the context of the Geography. Matters module at the Department of Geography in the fall semester of 2025.
https://invasiveneophyteszurich.blogspot.com/p/overview.html
About GEO410
This blog post is part of the outcome of an interdisciplinary Master’s-level course in Geography: GEO410 Geography. Matters. The course aims to bring together diverse geographic research perspectives to engage with some of the most pressing societal and environmental challenges of our time. As the only compulsory module of the Geography MSc program, the course encourages students to think across sub-disciplines of geography and to explore how geographic research can meaningfully contribute to debates around sustainability, justice, and environmental change.
Beyond conducting interdisciplinary research as a team, a central aim of the course was to experiment with creative and accessible forms of science communication. Rather than producing a purely academic output, students translated their research insights into blogposts, intended for a wider, non-specialist audience. The contributions thus showcase not only rigorous scientific work by highly motivated students, but also the importance of communicating research beyond the university and engaging broader publics in conversations about geography, sustainability and the future of our shared environments.
The students in the course GEO410 were supervised by Andreas Vieli, Christian Berndt and Sofia van Moorsel as lecturers and by Nikolas Klaudy as teaching assistant.