Reclaiming our riverbanks

It’s been a ground-breaking year in our efforts to stop the spread and ultimately banish this invasive non-native species (INNS) from the banks of the River Eden and the wider countryside.

Ground-breaking not only in terms of the sheer quantity of this invasive species removed, but in the engagement and help of 185 volunteers, school groups and residents across the length and breadth of the Eden river catchment. We estimate that, thanks to our combined efforts, potentially 60 million plants have been prevented from germinating next year!

Jenni Payne, our Community Engagement and Volunteer Coordinator said,

“It has given us the opportunity to work alongside many of our wonderful communities in Carlisle, Appleby, Dalston, Warcop, Wetheral, Lazonby, Kirkoswald and more, engaging new volunteers and creating partnerships to help us reclaim our river banks.

“This is just the start. Next year’s Big Balsam Bash will be even bigger as our long-term plan is to literally stamp out (and bash) this alien invader from Eden’s rivers.”

Himalayan balsam, with its showy pink flowers and prolific growth – with plants topping 3m in places – has become a common sight along Eden’s riverbanks, dominating areas to the exclusion of deep-rooted native plants that provide the stability needed to protect banks from erosion and vital nature corridors for our native species.

As the river provides the main transport mechanism for Himalayan balsam seeds, we are working systematically from its source down to the sea to remove plants before they set seed. By doing this over multiple years, the appearance of the plant begins to thin out in sites downstream. The work is carried out from spring until late August when the plants set seed.

Working alongside many of our wonderful communities in the Eden catchment, in Carlisle, Appleby, Dalston, Warcop, Wetheral, Lazonby, Kirkoswald and many more, volunteers, landowners, residents and partners are all pitching in to help us reclaim our river banks.

It is incredible to see the numbers involved when we add up all of our activities in 2024. While encouraging, it also serves to highlight the scale of the task ahead.

The map also displays reported sightings registered on the INNS Mapper app and webpage. You can help our cause year round by reporting sightings of Himalayan Balsam and other INNS on INNS Mapper, a free phone app created by the Yorkshire Invasive Species Forum. This is a major help to us in planning future years’ activities and assessing the reduction in numbers. It’s free to download and available via the INNS section of our website where you’ll find lots more information about the area’s INNS, how to identify them and what you can do to help.

This year’s activities were organised as part of ‘Action Against Invasives’, from the Access to Eden: breaking barriers, building bridges partnership project led by Eden Rivers Trust with a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and also made possible thanks also a grant from Westmorland and Furness Council’s Climate and Nature Partnership Fund.

Non-native species are plants, animals, fungi, and micro-organisms that have been brought over to the UK from all over the world and are now thriving in areas where they don’t naturally occur.

Most are harmless, but around 15% spread and become invasive non-native species (INNS). If unmanaged, invasives can cause damage to wildlife, the environment and our economy and can even impact our health and way of life. INNS cost the UK economy around £1.8 billion every year through damage and erosion.

Visit the INNS section of our website to find out how to identify species, how to report them, steps you can take to reduce their spread and events and activities in your area.