River Earn Invasive Species Control
The River Earn Improvement Association, supported by Perth & Kinross Council's Nature Restoration Fund, have been building local capacity to control invasive non-native species (INNS) on the River Earn and its tributaries.
Volunteer Training and Equipment
Funding from the Nature Restoration Fund enabled volunteers to complete accredited pesticide training through Tayforth Machinery Ring. This included both PA1 Safe Use of Pesticides and PA6 Handheld Applicator (including stem injection). Once qualified, each volunteer can supervise at least one additional person, meaning a further four people can support early control efforts ahead of the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative (SISI) programme starting in 2026.
To ensure they are fully equipped for the work, the project also provided appropriate PPE and application equipment for each volunteer.
With this phase complete, six local volunteers are now fully trained and able to supervise others, building a strong local team for ongoing INNS control. The project is helping ensure each local angling club along the Earn has someone qualified to manage and oversee invasive species control on their own stretches of river.
This groundwork will allow control efforts to scale up quickly in 2025, and provide valuable support to SISI once work begins in 2026.
Focus on the Upper Earn
Work focused on priority areas along the upper River Earn and its tributaries, using the 2019 survey by Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board, which identified over 50,000m2 of Japanese Knotweed. A key part of the project was to update this scoping with details of areas treated, methods used (spraying or stem injection), and monitoring results. These updates will be shared with SISI to help shape future efforts.
Before and after treatment of Japanese Knotweed.
Restoring Biodiversity and Resilience
Japanese Knotweed and other invasive species outcompete native plants and contribute to soil erosion and riverbank instability. Their removal makes way for the return of native vegetation, which stabilises banks, reduces sediment and pollution entering the water, and creates better conditions for fish an invertebrates.
The project is helping restore healthy riparian zones, increasing biodiversity and building climate resilience. Native trees and shrubs will provide shade, leaf litter, and natural woody debris, improving habitat quality and reconnecting fragmented ecosystems.
The River Earn Improvement Association are laying strong foundations for long-term ecosystem restoration through practical, community-led action.
PROJECT MADE POSSIBLE VIA PKC NATURE RESTORATION FUNDING
COMMENTS
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