The Wandle Trust, in partnership with riparian landowners, are tackling invasive non-native plant species (INNS) throughout the catchment. This project began in 2015 as part of Living Wandle and continues to be delivered by the Wandle Trust through the Catchment Partnership for the River Wandle.
INNS are a problem for UK rivers; Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed, Giant hogweed and Pennywort use rivers to colonise new areas of habitat, outcompeting native plants and causing issues for waterway management and wildlife.
Working systematically from source to delta, INNS on the Wandle are mapped three times a year to record their abundance and distribution. A trained team of volunteers known as the ‘Hit Squad’ follow up the surveys with targeted removal and control, including hand-pulling, stem injection and controlled application of chemicals to remove some of the tougher species!
A free online toolkit for tackling INNS has been created as part of the project to help others dealing with invasives on the Wandle. It includes PDF factsheets on how to treat INNS, up-to-date distribution maps and a long-term action plan.
View INNS Toolkit
To receive advice on tackling invasive species in your area or find out more about volunteering please contact The Wandle Trust at INNS@wandletrust.org
This project is part of the wider Living Wandle Landscape Partnership Scheme, supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund.
