Thursday, 16 October 2008
Since the 1960s the Natural Sciences staff at Doncaster Museum have been compiling records of the plants, animals and geology of the Doncaster region and from 1986 have run the Doncaster Environmental Records Centre (one of only four such Local Authority run Local Record Centres in the Yorkshire and Humber region). The Centre’s substantial databases are made constant use of by members of the public, Doncaster Council Departments, Government Agencies, Public Utilities, Wildlife Conservation organisations and by Environmental Consultants working on behalf of developers. Annually we deal with thousands of such environmental and biodiversity enquiries.
(Japanese Knotweed Fallopia japonica)
Due to its potential to cause structural damage and to overwhelm local wildlife habitats, the control and disposal of Japanese Knotweed now comes under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) and the Environmental Protection Act (1990). Landowners, land managers and developers therefore have a responsibility for the appropriate control and legal disposal of this vigorous and easily spread weed (see Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council Community First website for advice).
To keep our records up to date and available to all, the Doncaster Museum's Environmental Records Centre has set up a Japanese Knotweed database which will be periodically updated.
The distribution of Japanese Knotweed is highly volatile being transferred to new localities by its underground rhizomes being spread through earth movement, on the tyres and tracks of construction machinery and by fly tipping of garden waste.
Field surveys undertaken for this project in autumn 2006 located over 100 Japanese Knotweed colonies throughout the Doncaster Borough (contact Colin Howes for details). Most colonies were additional to earlier studies and covered a total area of 8,136m2. Most stands were associated with canal and riverbanks, railways, urban gardens, demolition and development sites and ranged in size from small patches of 1m2 to the largest site of 1,740m2.
We are always keen to receive additional records from members of the public. Please forward records to Doncaster Council Environmental Records Centre at Doncaster Museum DN1 2AE; Tel: 01302 734289 or Email: Colin.howes@doncaster.gov.uk
