Issue 3 – Summer 2019

Welcome to the Summer 2019 edition!

If you have any suggestions for future topics to cover, email us at [email protected]

News

Asian hornet identified in south Hampshire

The National Bee Unit has confirmed a sighting of an individual, female Asian hornet on Wednesday 3 July 2019 in New Milton, Hampshire, after it was reported by a member of the public. Based upon visual examination, the hornet is likely to be a queen.

Monitoring is underway to detect any other Asian hornets in the vicinity and local beekeepers are asked to be vigilant. Read the rest of the press release here.

Any suspected sightings should be reported using the following:

Asian Hornet Watch app for iPhone / Android
Online reporting form
[email protected].

Environmental Audit Committee

The Environmental Audit Committee launched an inquiry on the impacts of invasive species and their management. The Committee has taken evidence from a range of stakeholders and the final session with Lord Gardiner, the Chief Non-native Species Officer and Chief Plant Health Officer took place on the 9th July, watch it here. All the evidence can be viewed here.

EU Exit

The Invasive Non-native Species (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 will ensure that the EU Invasive Alien Species Regulation will continue to function, as retained EU law, when the UK leaves the EU. A small number of minor errors were identified in the 2019 regulations and they have been corrected in The Animal Health, Alien Species in Aquaculture and Invasive Non-native Species (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019. The latest regulations do not change government policy on invasive non-native species. Further detail is in the Explanatory Memorandum submitted to parliament.

Species of Union Concern

The following 17 species will be added to the list of species of Union concern later this summer, under the EU Regulation on Invasive Alien Species.

- Acacia saligna Golden wreath wattle
- Acridotheres tristis Common myna
- Ailanthus altissima Tree of heaven
- Andropogon virginicus Broomsedge bluestem
- Arthurdendyus triangulatus New Zealand flatworm
- Cardiospermum grandiflorum Balloon vine
- Cortaderia jubata Purple pampas grass
- Ehrharta calycina Perennial veldtgrass
- Gymnocoronis spilanthoides Senegal tea plant
- Humulus scandens Japanese hop
- Lepomis gibbosus Pumpkinseed
- Lespedeza juncea sericea (= L. cuneata) Chinese bushclover
- Lygodium japonicum Vine-like fern
- Plotosus lineatus Striped eel catfish
- Prosopis juliflora Mesquite
- Salvinia molesta Salvinia moss
- Triadica sebifera (= Sapium sebiferum) Chinese tallow

Pathway work

Two working groups are currently developing pathway action plans for angling and boating, expected later this year.

GB Stakeholder Forum

The sixteenth annual GB Stakeholder Forum took place in Edinburgh on 18 June 2019.

Around 70 participants attended and watched presentations on key issues and projects, and took part in workshops to share knowledge and ideas.

New approach for tackling invasive non-native species in Wales.

Funded by the Welsh Government’s new Enabling Natural Resources and Well-being (ENRaW) grant, the Wales Resilient Ecological Network (WaREN) is devising a new collaborative framework that will help public and private bodies and community groups to work together to tackle the significant impacts of invasive non-native species (INNS).

WaREN is keen to engage with organisations, businesses and community groups with an interest in INNS. Please get in touch by contacting: [email protected] or visit the Wales Biodiversity Partnership website.

Communications

Invasive Species Week

Thank you to everyone involved in this year’s Invasive Species Week! We had a fantastic week, with engagement up again from the previous year. A few highlights below:

- 8 administrations taking part for the second year running - England, Guernsey, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

- Two Ministers taking part in events, Defra Biosecurity Minister, Lord Gardiner, and Scottish Government Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment, Mairi Gougeon.

- 93 events held (90 in 2018, 50 in 2017, 21 in 2016).

- 320 organisations involved (310 in 2018, 340 in 2017, 160 in 2016).

- Lots of activity on social media

Check Clean Dry

This summer, help us to spread the word to recreational water users to Check Clean Dry equipment and clothing after leaving the water to prevent the spread of invasive aquatic species. It’s even more important to do this when travelling abroad.

Visit the website for more information and materials, and contact us for hard copies.

Projects and research

Overseas Territories Biosecurity Project

With the completion of the horizon scanning exercise for the OTs, work is now focused on looking at ways to reduce the risk of arrive of the identified species.

Visits have been made to Bermuda, St Helena, Falkland Islands, Cayman Islands and Turks & Caicos Islands to help colleagues identify appropriate cost-effective actions which can be put in place to reduce the risk of priority pathways introducing new potentially invasive species. Examples of actions include improved signage at ports of entry, extending biosecurity training to customs officers, Port Authority personnel and port security staff, and identification of key sites for post-border monitoring for weeds.

For the South Georgia government, a 1-day training session was held for the Government Officers, covering monitoring for rodents, basic entomology, and fresh produce inspection techniques.

A new e-learning module, Biosecurity for the Overseas Territories, is available on the NNSS e-learning website.

For further information visit the website.

Scottish Invasive Species Initiative

Vicky Hilton, Volunteer and Communications Officer

The Scottish Invasive Species Initiative is an ambitious, large-scale, invasive species removal partnership project working across the north of Scotland. The emphasis of the Initiative is to deliver invasive species management with, within and for communities, where efforts are being concentrated on a hit-list of key target species; giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, American skunk cabbage, white butterbur and the American mink.

Much emphasis is placed on the long-term sustainability of the work and creating a legacy to carry on invasive species management when the four-year project comes to an end in Autumn 2021. This is being done through developing and supporting a network of enthusiastic partners and volunteers, from estates and angling associations to local communities, conservation groups and individuals – as opposed to routinely deploying contracted labour.

The project can provide training, qualifications, kit, support and encouragement to equip volunteers with the skills and gear they’ll need to undertake invasive species control. This ranges from local dog walkers adopting mink monitoring rafts and bailiffs running mink traps, to volunteers and estate workers being put through pesticide spraying qualifications to deliver on-going local plant control. It’s these volunteers and partners that will give a skills, capacity and enthusiastic legacy to the project – all essential to ensure successful long-term control.

Led by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the Initiative is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, SNH, and in-kind time from the fishery trusts/boards and volunteers. The partnership consists of SNH, the University of Aberdeen and ten catchment-based river and fishery trusts/boards and operates across a massive area of 29,500km2 encompassing Tayside, Grampian and Highland. That’s over a third of Scotland (and an area 1½ times bigger than Wales!) and makes the project one of the largest mainland eradication programmes in the world!

The project recently celebrated Invasive Species Week, with a host of awareness raising events and volunteering opportunities with the public and schools. Overall, the Initiative engaged directly with over 300 people during the week and connected with many more through social media. An endorsement of support was also given by the Minister for Rural Affairs and the Natural Environment, Mairi Gougeon, who visited the project on the River Esk, where she got stuck in and set up a mink monitoring raft and met project volunteers and local landowners to hear directly how invasive species are being tackled by the Initiative.

Visit the project website at to sign up to the e-newsletter, follow on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or contact the team.

Environment Agency’s Biosecurity Network and Invasive Species Action Group

Karen Twine, Environment Agency

Members of the Invasive Species and Biosecurity Network (ISBN) and the Invasive Species Action Group (ISAG) are passionately committed to helping reduce the impact of invasive species and disease on the environment. We aim to ensure that all EA staff understand the risks associated with the activities they undertake, and how to carry them out in a biosecure way.

The networks are also a way of sharing knowledge across Areas, often relating to new invasive species occurrences, associated problems and best practice. New scientific research and developments are discussed along with case studies on bi-monthly teleconferences, so up to date treatment strategies are used for removing invasive populations and/or preventing spread.

We plan for promotional events, such as last month’s Invasive Species Week. Across the whole country, area ISBN reps were hard at work running awareness sessions and other interactive activities. We hope that raising awareness of invasive species will make biosecurity procedures normal practice, result in quicker identification of new INNS occurrences, and result, in a better protected environment.

This year’s Invasive Species Week we ran internal campaigns through the intranet, emails and events at our offices and depots. These included Yammer discussions, Bake Off competitions, and interactive treasure hunt and rolling PowerPoint presentations in reception areas. Our external campaign relied on communication with our customers and partners via email, social media, as well as radio and television interviews.

Environment Agency employees promoting biosecurity during Invasive Species Week with the results of the ‘What’s on your Wellies?’ campaign and the Slido treasure hunt.

Novel methods of floating pennywort removal

British Canoeing

During Invasive Species Week, eight British Canoeing members worked with the Canal & River Trust to clear the highly invasive floating pennywort from a section of the Calder and Hebble Canal around Saville Town Wharf Marina, known as the Dewsbury Arm, in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.

At the end of June, an estimated one tonne of floating pennywort, including thick mats up to 15 ft in length, was removed by paddlers in around two hours from the Aire and Calder Navigation Canal at Stanley Ferry near Wakefield. Again, British Canoeing teamed up with the Canal & River Trust, and Juicesup, a local stand-up paddleboarding group. Pulling directly onto a canoe/kayak was difficult, but pushing the mats to the edge of the canal was reasonably easy. The mats could then be dragged to the towpath, removed and placed well away from the water to decompose.

The next removal event will be held on the Peak Forest Canal near Hyde on 4th July 2019.

Coleg Gwent Students Showcase INNS Artwork

Nick Sharp, Senior Conservation Officer, Natural Resources Wales

In the last edition I wrote about Coleg Gwent’s art students producing some striking artwork under the brief ‘Alien Invasion’ as part of the Living Levels Landscape Partnership Scheme. a partnership between NRW, RSPB and the college which contributes to the Living Levels Landscape Scheme.

As well as forming an integral part of the students’ college course, the intention always was to display the artwork at various events to raise awareness of INNS. The first such event was Coleg Gwent’s ‘Environment Day’ on 3rd May. NRW and the RSPB Living Levels Team had a stall at the event and it was great to see the enthusiasm of the college students for both the Gwent Levels as a landscape and also the Invasive Non-Native Species artwork which stimulated much discussion. Following on from the success of this event there will be several other opportunities over the summer to showcase the artwork in various locations– raising the profile of INNS with an even wider audience.

The next exciting date in the calendar for the Living Levels INNS project is a Bioblitz event at the National Trust Tredegar House property. This will involve a guided INNS walk and a concerted effort made throughout the day by species experts and members of the public alike to record INNS and all other species across the estate.

If you have any suggestions for future topics to cover, please email us at [email protected]

Find us at www.nonnativespecies.org and for updates on the campaigns, follow @CheckCleanDryGB and
@InvasiveSp

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Non-native Species News: Issue 3