Tackling Invasive Non Native Species (INNS)

INNS threaten ecosystem services and increase flood risk costing the UK economy £1.7bn a year. They can be introduced and spread via clothing, vehicles and equipment during a range of activities. Once INNS become established, costs of controlling them are large and freshwaters are particularly affected. Prevention is better than the cure, and instilling good biosecurity practices in activities at most risk of introducing or spreading INNS is the most cost-effective management option available.

iCASP organised a workshop to explore the potential for working with Local Authorities and partners to improve the uptake of good biosecurity practice and to slow the spread of aquatic and riparian (riverbank) INNS. Current INNS action is reactive rather than proactive, taken when INNS has established and spread, rather than acting to prevent invasion and spread.

The role of iCASP was to bring together research evidence and expertise on biosecurity, geographic information system (GIS) modelling – a spatial system that creates, manages analyses and maps all types of data – stakeholder engagement, policy development and behavioural change to inform Local Authority strategies and produce resources to support the development of good biosecurity practice that is tailored to the their needs.

Easy to use, evidence-based biosecurity guides and materials have been produced during the project tailored to Local Authorities, their land users and contractors. These will help identify high risk activities, hotspots and enabled them to target biosecurity and resources in a cost-effective way.

New INNS Awareness and Biosecurity Training has been developed aimed at researchers, lecturers and students working in the environment.

The long-term outcome will be new strategies embedded across Yorkshire, that can also be applied to catchments elsewhere, to reduce the spread of INNS and cost of treatment of infestations.

Giving evidence to a parliamentary committee