What its response is to reports that non-native, invasive species such as giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam have increased on river banks …

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) recently funded a PhD study to look at long-term changes in riverside vegetation in Great Britain. This confirmed that the probability of occurrence of invasive non-native plants increased over time and with frequency of high flows, such as those caused by Storm Frank in 2015. Fisheries Trusts are coordinating action to control invasive non-native plants on a number of rivers in Aberdeenshire. On the River Deveron, invasive species control is part of the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative, funded by SNH and the Heritage Lottery Fund. Work on parts of the rivers Dee, Don and Urie has been funded with offset mitigation funding from the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route project. Land managers can also apply for funding to control invasive non-native plants on their land through the Agri-Environment and Climate Scheme under the Scottish Rural Development Programme. Advice about other possible sources of funding can be found on SNH’s website, www.nature.scot.