Anglesey gets to grips with pink invader
An
Anglesey partnership is succeeding in its efforts to stop an invasive plant
damaging Welsh wildlife.
The non
native Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) has already spread to many Anglesey
river banks and can often be seen standing up to two metres tall, displaying
prominent pink flowers.
It is an
annual plant that rapidly spreads along areas of wet ground, choking the life
out of native plants and robbing local wildlife of a valuable food source. Once
the plant dies in the autumn it leaves areas of bare ground which are
susceptible to erosion, which can also lead to flooding or put fish at risk.
Last year
wildlife groups joined forces with government departments and Anglesey landowners
in a coordinated effort to tackle this invasive plant. Efforts have been made
to raise awareness of the need to control Himalayan Balsam with volunteers and
contractors brought into control it.
The
Anglesey Himalayan Balsam Partnership includes the County Council's Countryside
and AONB Service; Menter Môn; Countryside Council for Wales; North Wales
Wildlife Trust; British Trust for Conservation Volunteers and Royal Society for
the Protection of Birds.
Anglesey's
Countryside and AONB Service has been tackling the plant at the Dingle Nature
reserve with noticeable decrease in the amount of Himalayan Balsam compared to
previous years.
AONB
Project Officer, Efan Milner, was recently successful in securing a £15,000
Tidy Towns grant to clear Himalayan Balsam along the Cefni.