Group urges volunteers to remove Himalayan balsam along rivers

A conservation group is urging people to form teams to remove Himalayan balsam, an invasive non-native plant found along waterways. The plant has pink bonnet-shaped flowers and thin stems. It outcompetes native plants, reduces biodiversity, and leaves riverbanks bare in winter, increasing the risk of soil erosion that can harm water quality and wildlife habitats.

Removal methods and timing The group recommends volunteers start pulling plants in June and continue through the summer. The easiest removal method is to pull the plant out of the ground and stamp on it, then leave the dead stems and flowers in a pile on site.

Each plant produces between 800 and 2,000 seeds that can travel up to six metres and spread rapidly, including into streams and across floodplains.

Volunteer support offered The organization will offer training sessions for volunteers and help identify Himalayan balsam hotspots. It is focusing removal efforts on the Derwent, Ellen and South Lakes catchments, working from the top of each catchment downward. The plant was introduced to the country by the Victorians as a garden plant and later spread into the countryside.