All Choked Up! A new campaign to prevent pond pests

16th April, 2005

A new campaign is being launched today (Monday 18 April) that aims to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive plants into our towns and countryside.

'All Choked Up! Prevent Pond Pests' is a campaign by the Water for Wildlife project and involves the introduction of an awareness raising postcard aimed at informing both the public and aquatic suppliers of the dangers these aquatic invasive plants pose and encouraging people not to stock, buy or spread them.

As well as the Water for Wildlife partners, (The Wildlife Trusts, the Environment Agency and the water industry through Water UK) the campaign is supported by British Waterways, the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, English Nature and PlantLife.

Aquatic invasive plant species, often sold in local nurseries, pet centres and aquarium centres are usually purchased by the general public for their own gardens and ponds. Once in people's gardens, it is impossible to prevent their spread into the wider environment, as they are released unknowingly into the wild. Visiting garden birds for instance, only have to pick up small fragments of these plants on their feet to transmit them to other areas.

Once released into the wild, these species cause havoc in our rivers, waterways, lakes and ponds. They grow rapidly, blocking out and shading the riverbed, taking over from native plants species, killing life on waterway beds and clogging up water treatment works.

They spread particularly quickly due to the dynamic and inter-connective nature of rivers and waterways. So once in the wild they can cover whole areas of water in a matter of months and are extremely hard to eradicate, requiring applications of herbicide or expensive mechanical removal and causing millions of pounds worth of damage.

Problem plant species include Australian swamp stonecrop (Crassula helmsii), water fern (Azolla filiculoides), floating pennywort, (Hydroctyle ranunculoides), parrot’s feather (Myriophyllum aquaticum), curly waterweed (Lagarosiphon major) and water primrose (Ludwigia grandiflora syn. Jussiaea).

Chris Rostron, The Wildlife Trusts' Water for Wildlife Manager says:

"We need to stop the spread of these invasive plants into the UK's wetland environment to protect our native wildlife. This campaign is about encouraging people not to stock, buy or spread them. Invasive plants can be present as fragments in other aquatic plants bought from garden centres and aquarium specialists. Only a tiny piece is required to allow the plant to take over a whole waterway system. We need to tackle this problem at source, because once in the river systems, these species are near impossible to eradicate."

The campaign postcard gives more detailed advice and provides identification pictures of the most problem pond pests. It can be downloaded free, together with an information sheet and campaign poster direct from The Wildlife Trusts' website at www.wildlifetrusts.org or can be obtained by sending an A5 S.A.E. to your local Wildlife Trust addressed to 'Prevent Pond Pests' campaign (contact details for all local Wildlife Trusts are also available on the website). Visitors to the website can also find out more information about the campaign and support it further by signing the online Prevent Pond Pests petition.

- ENDS -

Story by Nicola Strazzullo

More Information

Chris Rostron - Water for Wildlife Manager
The Wildlife Trusts
Tel: 01773 881176 or Email: CRostron@derbyshirewt.co.uk

Nicola Strazzullo – Communications Officer
The Wildlife Trusts
Tel: 01636 670082 or Email: press@wildlife-trusts.cix.co.uk

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