About

The Scottish Invasive Species Initiative is a partnership project tackling invasive non-native species (INNS) alongside rivers and watercourses in northern Scotland. We work with local partners, land managers and volunteers to control INNS for the benefit of our native wildlife and communities.

Our iconic Scottish freshwater rivers and lochs are at the heart of our environment and they play a key role in supporting much of Scotland’s wildlife, support a range of economic activities and have a high social and recreational value. Invasive non-native species have significant negative impacts on our freshwater and riparian (riverside) environments, being responsible for the decline of native species and causing effects like bank erosion. We want to halt and control the spread of invasive species to encourage the return of our native wildlife.

Our project area

Our project area is defined, largely, by the catchment boundaries of the fishery and river trusts and boards that we work in partnership with.  It includes:

• Highland & Eastern Perthshire
• Angus
• Aberdeenshire
• Moray
• Inverness-shire
• Ross-shire
• West Sutherland

The area encompasses a variety of communities, geography and land uses and includes a number of sites designated for their wildlife and conservation value.  The project will help protect habitats and species on 22 designated sites from invasive non-native species.
 

In total we cover an area of 29,500km2  – over a third of mainland Scotland (and an area larger than the country of Wales!).

Our team

We employ a team of twelve full-time and part-time staff, as well as seasonal staff, who are dedicated to delivering the project. They are based with our partner organisations and NatureScot.

We have nine area-based officers who lead our invasive species management work. They work alongside staff from local fisheries and rivers trusts and boards who also allocate time to the project.

Annual infographic

Each year we prepare an infographic to summarise some of our key achievements and areas of work in a single place.  There is a lot going on, but we hope these provide a helpful snapshot and summary of what we get up to each year.