The Scottish Invasive Species Initiative was delighted to welcome Lorna Slater, Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, to visit the project at the River Tay near Aberfeldy to tell her about our work controlling invasive species and to meet some of our willing volunteers.

Ms Slater was joined by local Project Officer Mark Purrmann-Charles, Volunteer and Communications Officer Jane Hamilton, Steering Group Chair Iain Sime (from lead partner NatureScot) and volunteers from the Upper Tay Paths Group, who have been working with the project to tackle invasive species in and around Aberfeldy. The Minister visited two sites where volunteers have been tackling infestations of Japanese knotweed and giant hogweed.

Ms Slater spoke with volunteers about the need for long term management of invasive species in order to make lasting progress and the training, support and co-ordination provided by the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative. Volunteers took on management responsibility for these sites themselves in 2022, whilst keeping Mark up to date with progress and with news of any further discoveries of invasive species in the area.

Japanese knotweed site at Aberfeldy before any control work (2020)		Japanese knotweed site in Aberfeldy after two years of treatment (2022)

Lorna Slater commented on the visit on her Twitter account: "The SISI project are doing fantastic work eradicating invasive species. It was really good to get out and see some of their sites today and meet their wonderful volunteers."

Project Officer Mark commented on the visit: "We were delighted to host Lorna Slater at key control sites in Tayside. It was a pleasure to discuss the project, the work we are doing and our future goals. Invasive non-native species are a major threat to biodiversity in Scotland - effective and lasting removal of these species will be key to restoring biodiversity over the coming years."

Mark also highlighted the important of volunteers in the project: "We're very pleased Ms Slater was able to meet some of our excellent volunteers and see the amazing work they have been doing over the past few years. Volunteers are key to the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative's approach - we work in partnership with organisations, land managers, community groups and local volunteers. Last year alone, volunteer effort contributed the equivalent of 17 full time staff on the project. This contribution enables us to tackle invasive species on a landscape-scale."

Lorna Slater was joined by project staff and volunteers from the Upper Tay Paths Group

Callum Sinclair, Scottish Invasive Species Initiative Project Manager added: “Although I couldn’t join the Minister for her visit to Aberfeldy it was brilliant for us to be able to share and show her our approach to invasive species management – an approach which relies on a small committed project staff, a network of local delivery partners and an army of dedicated and enthusiastic volunteers.  We believe that model provides an effective recipe for smart, strategic and coordinated action as we tackle the significant threats to our native biodiversity presented by invasive non-native species in Scotland.”