May 2024

Invasive Species Week (20-26 May) is a national initiative to raise awareness of invasive species and the simple things you can do to stop their spread as well as sharing some of the great work being done around the country to tackle these problematic species. 

Here's what's going on and how you can get involved: 

Date	Location	Activity	Detail
Monday 20 May	Roadford Lake	INNS Pop-up stand	Pop into the Visitor Centre to learn more about Invasive Species. Our Invasive Species Officer Laura will be around for questions between 10am and 2pm!
Tuesday 21 May	Countess Wear, Exeter	Boardwalk Opening	Boardwalk opening including INNS signage and education stands. More information will be available soon.
Wednesday 22 May	Roadford Lake	Workshop for our Site Guardians	Evening workshops for our Site Guardians. Find out more about volunteering with us here.
Thursday 23 May	Bridgwater	INNS Forum	National and regional speakers discuss Invasive Species - Book your free place by Thursday 16 May.
Saturday 25 May	Stithians Lake	Workshop for our Site Guardians	Daytime workshops for our Site Guardians. Find out more about volunteering with us here.
Saturday 25- Sunday 26 May	Roadford and Upper Tamar Lake	Invasive Species Trail	Follow our invasive species trail at Upper Tamar or Roadford Lake to learn about Invasive Non-Native Species found in the UK.
All Week	Roadford Lake	INNS Pop-up stand	Pop into the Visitor Centre to learn more about Invasive Species and what you can do to stop the spread.

What are invasive non-native species?

Non-native species are those that are transported outside of their native range. There are thousands of these in the UK which exist without much issue. However, occasionally, the lack of natural predators, diseases, abundance of food and other factors allow these species to reproduce and spread prolifically. This is when they become invasive, and cause problems to the ecosystem, economy and human health. Famous examples are Japanese knotweed and grey squirrels.

How are they spread? 

Invasive non-native species are primarily spread by humans, either deliberately or accidentally. Things like sports and angling equipment, footwear and vehicles pick up fragments of these species from one place and transport them without the user knowing. This is why practising biosecurity and checking your equipment before and after accessing the environment is so important. Sometimes invasive species are transported deliberately, such as pond plants and other plants in the horticulture industry, certain animals in the exotic pet industry.

Why are they a problem?

Ecosystems have evolved over many hundreds of thousands of years to sustain the species within it in a balance. There are also finite resources in an ecosystem, which all the species have evolved to use in a balance. Adding an invasive species into an ecosystem causes the ecosystem to lose this balance, and as a result native species decline while invasive species increase, reproduce and spread. This can result in blocked waterways, reduced access and activities, reduced biodiversity and even local extinction of species. Some of these species can adversely affect property development, and damage infrastructure. Some, such as giant hogweed, can be hazardous to our health.

What is being done?

South West Lakes, in partnership with South West Water, have been installing biosecurity facilities at many of our lakes to enable users to practise biosecurity when visiting. These are free of charge and there for our visitors' convenience! We carry out enhanced biosecurity checks at angling competitions throughout the season as well. We have biosecurity kits in all company vehicles, and biosecurity is integrated into our day to day procedures.  

We also have a network of volunteers throughout the region called Site Guardians who survey our sites periodically for any new invasions, so we can tackle anything new before it becomes more widespread and difficult to control. They also carry out biosecurity, maintain our facilities, install and check signage, among other things!

One of the best ways you can help in the fight against invasive species is by practising good biosecurity following three basic steps:

1. Check your equipment and clothing for visible signs of any plant or animal matter.

2. Clean your equipment off thoroughly.

3. Dry your equipment thoroughly. Some invasive species can survive 14 days in damp conditions and two days in completely dry conditions.

What can you do?

One of the best ways you can help in the fight against invasive species is by practising good biosecurity following three basic steps:

1. Check your equipment and clothing for visible signs of any plant or animal matter.

2. Clean your equipment off thoroughly.

3. Dry your equipment thoroughly. Some invasive species can survive 14 days in damp conditions and two days in completely dry conditions.

Another thing you can do that is extremely important is to report any invasive species you might come across. We can’t be everywhere, so many of our invasive species sightings come from clued up members of the public, for which we are very thankful!

You can take the free online training from the GBNNSS to arm yourself with more knowledge so you can better identify invasive species and the risks surrounding them.

You can sign up to be a member of our site guardian team that works throughout the region to detect new invasions as they arrive on our sites, help install and maintain biosecurity facilities, control invasive plants, and other things! Just email [email protected] for details.

About us

Healthy lakes, landscapes and lives

South West Lakes Trust is the region’s largest combined environmental and recreational charity, caring for and enhancing reservoirs on behalf of South West Water for conservation and recreation purposes. Our 50 inland water sites, encompassing 5,000 hectares of land and water spread across Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and West Somerset, attract in the region of 2 million visits annually. 

Our reservoirs and lakes are home to many wonderful animals and boast important habitats and built historic sites. We pride ourselves on enabling people of all abilities to enjoy these special locations by providing access both on and off the water. It’s your outdoors – come and explore.