Friday 7th October, 2022
Our two river catchments are under considerable threat from Japanese Knotweed (Reynoutria japonica var. japonica); an invasive plant species which first arrived in Wales in the late 19th century.
The rapid growth of Japanese Knotweed is caused by its ease of reproducing new plants. The smallest offcuts can create dense and compact canopies of foliage which significantly reduces sunlight to all other native plants along our rivers’ banks. Throughout the winter, Japanese Knotweed dies back, exposing the soil which is no longer teeming with rich native plant species to harsh wintery conditions instead. This causes the rivers’ banks to become vulnerable to a multitude of issues, bank erosion being one of them.
What are we doing to help solve this issue?
As part of our Giving Up The Weed project, our habitat team have once again gone out along both rivers to spray this invasive species. Our team will continue to make efforts to eradicate this invasive species with the hope that one day, native flora can once again thrive along the Wye and Usk river banks.
