Species that have been introduced into areas outside their natural range, through human actions, are known as non-native species. Some have been introduced intentionally and others accidentally. An audit of non-native species in England in 2005 found 2721 species in the wild. While the majority of these are harmless a small number are invasive and can, in some cases,\u00a0cause significant\u00a0environmental and economic harm.<\/p>\n
Devon Local Nature Partnership is developing a Devon Invasive Species Initiative <\/a>which is replacing the\u00a0Devon Knotweed Forum.\u00a0 The Knotweed Forum produced lots of useful information on Japanese Knotweed<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Details of knotweed contractors <\/a>and consultants operating in Devon<\/p>\n Ash dieback<\/a>\u00a0in Devon<\/p>\n Sweet chestnut blight<\/a><\/p>\n GB Non-Native Species Secretariat<\/a> – Useful information on invasive species identification, prevention and training courses.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/li> Devon County Council is\u00a0required to protect and enhance wildlife habitats, species and geological sites through the planning process. Find out more about wildlife guidance and what wildlife information is needed with a\u00a0planning application<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/li> Pollinators are in trouble and Devon needs to play its part in conserving pollinator species and their habitats.<\/p>\n Devon County Council’s Pollinator Action Plan can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Take a look at Devon Local Nature Partnership’s ‘Get Devon Buzzing’ <\/a>campaign<\/strong> and pledge<\/strong> to do something to help. The pledge includes five key actions, including to only use pesticides if absolutely necessary. Neonicotinoid based insecticides have been implicated in the deaths of bees and other pollinators. These insecticides are available for a range of uses, including in domestic situations. The research continues but\u00a0if you would like to avoid using them please see this list –\u00a0Insecticides containing neonics used in domestic situations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/li> According to Plantlife verges across the UK support over 700 plant species<\/strong>, 45% of our native flora.<\/p>\n We have approximately 2000 hectares of road verge across Devon (excluding verges managed by Highways England) the majority of which can, or could if managed correctly, support a wealth of wildlife including plants, bees, butterflies and reptiles.<\/p>\n Devon County Council is encouraging local communities to\u00a0manage\u00a0verges for wildlife to help\u00a0create a network of wildlife corridors across the county.\u00a0For further information please click here.<\/a><\/p>\n Furthermore, many hedges and trees on the edge of the highway and highway verge, and these marks it boundary with private property. In these cases, the adjacent landowner or occupier is responsible for maintaining them. To find out more about the maintenance of roadside hedgerows, please visit the Devon County Council hedge maintenance webpages<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/p>\n For further information contact:\u00a0nature@devon.gov.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Devon County Council has a statutory responsibility to promote and enhance wildlife through its functions and management of its estate. We provide technical ecological advice (largely in relation to wildlife legislation and policy) to DCC staff on: planning issues (development … Continue reading