Sixty people gathered recently at Brockenhurst Village Hall to learn about the vital role played by volunteers in the battle against invasive non-native species.

The event, hosted by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, was attended by wildlife enthusiasts, landowners and naturalists and attracted delegates from France, Belgium and across the UK.

Catherine Chatters, the Wildlife Trust’s New Forest Non-Native Plants Officer, described the important work undertaken by volunteers in the New Forest area.

“The success of The New Forest Non-Native Plants Project has been due to the enormous amount of effort given willingly by so many volunteers,” said Catherine.

Last summer more than 175 people gave over 2000 hours of their time to pull up the invasive plant called Himalayan balsam which is threatening the wildlife of river banks. Cubs, Scouts, Guides, college students, retired people and staff from companies including BMW, Lloyds Bank and Waitrose all volunteered to join the balsam battle.

“Their hard work and enthusiasm has really made a difference in protecting our wildlife,” said Catherine.

Dr Steven Jackson of Southampton Solent University reported the results of his research into the reasons that motivate people to become volunteers.

While people might be motivated by a desire to look after their local environment, Steven discovered that what they most enjoyed about volunteering was the job satisfaction and the chance to be outside with like-minded people.

Delegates were particularly interested to hear the perspective of Derek Tippetts, a Voluntary Ranger for the Forestry Commission, who shared his experiences as a volunteer in the New Forest.

In his inspiring talk, Derek described how he had taken early retirement from his career in banking and now enjoys sharing his enthusiasm and knowledge of the New Forest and getting involved with practical conservation activities.

The important role of volunteers in recording the location of invasive non-native species was highlighted at the event. Delegates also learnt about ‘citizen science’ projects which engage large numbers of volunteers in scientific research.

Tribute was paid to volunteers from Southampton University who helped The New Forest Non-Native Plants Project to monitor the control of American skunk cabbage which had invaded wet woodland along the Lymington River.

Funding towards the event was provided by RINSE (Reducing the Impact of Non-native Species in Europe), which brings together nine partner organisations from four European countries to share best practice and adopt strategic approaches to tackle the threats posed by invasive non-native species.

More help is needed to stop the spread of Himalayan balsam along river banks this summer. Luckily Himalayan balsam has short roots and is easy to pull up, so it can be great fun and very satisfying.

If you are interested in volunteering to help combat the spread of invasive non-native plants in the New Forest area, please contact Catherine Chatters on 07770 923315 or at Catherine.Chatters@hiwwt.org.uk.

Further details about non-native invasive species can be found on the Wildlife Trust’s website hiwwt.org.uk.