Rivers group awarded £3m for invasive plant project

An environmental group has secured £3m to fund a programme tackling invasive plant species.

The Tees Rivers Trust will use the money from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to hire three members of staff and begin trialling biological control of Himalayan balsam, Japanese knotweed and floating pennywort.

The team will use drone mapping and surveying to monitor the plants before potentially using drones to treat the plants with biological controls such as rust fungus and two types of insects, psyllids and weevils.

Project manager Chloe Lawrence said securing the funding was "genuinely incredible" and would give the group an opportunity to better "protect our river".

She said: "This project is built on the incredible support of our landowners, farmers, volunteers, partners and communities who are our eyes and ears across the catchment.

"Their knowledge, dedication and involvement will be what makes this project successful."

The award of funding follows almost two years developing plans for the project, gathering evidence and going through the NLHF assessment process, the trust said.

Once the invasive species have been removed it plans to reintroduce native flora.

Lawrence hopes the funding will help them "restore habitats, improve biodiversity and build a healthier, more resilient river for future generations".

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