Outdoor Engineering
Why join INNSA?
by Mike Clough, CEO/Director of Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd (JKSL)
I often get asked by interested parties - ‘why should I join INNSA? (The Invasive Non-Native Specialists Association
www.innsa.org)... well to me it seems anyone with a fairly basic understanding of the issues involved with invasive non-native species should be interested in becoming a member.
Too often it seems to me we turn our back on complex issues due to ‘lack of time’ or not wishing to ‘cause a fuss’ when really the people that should be showing an interest in the environment need to stand up and be counted. Currently we have a situation where a series of companies have come into the invasive species market, that are themselves an unwanted ‘invasive species’.
We have companies who provide timber preservation services calling themselves ‘experts in Japanese knotweed eradication’. We have damp proofing companies offering to write ‘detailed specifications for treatment of Himalayan balsam’ and we have companies who can only identify one plant... setting up as in ‘invasive weed expert’.
This is simply wrong.
The British people are being conned by slick business men trying to ‘expand their portfolio’ of works during a ‘difficult economic period’... and it needs to stop. High profile newspapers and TV pieces on ‘alien’ species have led to a plethora of new companies coming into the market with no experience and no idea what damage they are causing. Environmental issues need to be dealt with by environmentally qualified professionals working to strict codes of practice.
Those of you who know anything about invasive non-native species will be aware of the battle being fought on our very shores as we try and mitigate against an ever expanding list of aggressive species arriving on our doorstep. This isn’t a problem for a damp proofing company, this isn’t a problem for a timber company - these issues should be tackled by someone who actually has experience and skills in and managing these invasions.
The Invasive Non-Native Specialist Association is looking to expand its membership with professionally qualified consultants and associated companies who care about what is happening to our bio-diversity.
We don’t just want contractors; we want consultant members who know that management of invasive species is a complex issue.
We also need affiliated industries to recognise the correct management strategies involved in treating these non-native invaders.
There are too many people out there scaremongering house owners and developers with horror stories about invasive plants - the country needs a trade body of trusted professionals who can care for the environment and care for our bio-diversity.
If you have any interest in retaining our unique British countryside please make a vote for the environment by joining the only trade body that cares about the future.
Join INNSA
www.innsa.org THE INVASIVE NON-NATIVE SPECIALISTS ASSOCIATION 11 TEL:0800 1300 485
WWW.INNSA.ORG
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64