Sedimentation and invasive species in rivers: Investigation in trialling of mitigation options relevant to invasive non-native species sediment inputs

Invasive non-native species (INNS) such as Himalayan Balsam and Signal Crayfish are known to cause increased sediment erosion in river ecosystems. This increased sediment causes a negative impact on instream biota and threatens Water Framework Directive status deterioration, as well as increased cost to river managers and water companies who must remove excess sediment to treat water to drinking standards and stabilise stream banks to limit further impact. Present management is largely ineffective due to the prevalence of these species and the lack of suitable control measures.

This research will trial a number of different management techniques aimed at mitigating the impact of sedimentation due to INNS, in addition to improving riparian biodiversity, amenity value and ecological resilience. The successful candidate will undertake field and possibly laboratory experiments to determine the role of INNS in river sedimentation, identify which management techniques are best suited to prevent INNS related sedimentation, and quantify any additional biodiversity, flood risk and amenity benefits INNS mitigation measures may have which will help deliver EU Water Framework Directive requirements.