MSGID: 1:317/3 64153e67   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    New study counts the environmental cost of managing Japanese knotweed   
      
      
     Date:   
         March 17, 2023   
     Source:   
         Swansea University   
     Summary:   
         New research has looked at the long-term environmental impact of   
         different methods to control Japanese knotweed. Different ways   
         of trying to control the invasive species have developed over the   
         years but now, as sustainability becomes increasingly important,   
         understanding the effect of these management methods is vital.This   
         new study examines at the entire life cycle and long-term impacts   
         of different management approaches.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
   ==========================================================================   
   New Swansea University research has looked at the long-term environmental   
   impact of different methods to control Japanese knotweed.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   The invasive species has been calculated to cost more than -L-165 million   
   to manage every year in the UK alone. Its presence can blight property   
   purchases for households across the country.   
      
   This has led to the development of different ways of trying to control   
   it but with sustainability becoming increasingly important, understanding   
   the effect of these management methods is vital.   
      
   A new study, led by biosciences lecturer Dr Sophie Hocking and looking   
   at the entire life cycle and long term impacts of different management   
   approaches, has just been published in online journal Scientific Reports.   
      
   Dr Hocking said: "In light of the current climate emergency and   
   biodiversity crisis, invasive species management and sustainability have   
   never been so important.   
      
   "Both of these are intrinsically linked -- we know that invasive species   
   can cause substantial negative ecological, social and economic impacts,   
   and the way we manage these species should mitigate against this in a   
   sustainable way to ensure we are not doing more harm than good.   
      
   "Although there has been more research into how we can best manage the   
   plant, little is known about how sustainable these approaches are."  This   
   study follows on from previous research which has put Swansea University   
   at the forefront of Japanese knotweed expertise and understanding.   
      
   Back in 2012 Professor Dan Eastwood and Dr Dan Jones launched the world's   
   largest knotweed control field trial which tested the main physical,   
   chemical and integrated methods of controlling the species. The research   
   has been undertaken in close partnership with Complete Weed Control's   
   Managing Director Ian Graham and Advanced Invasives, a spinout company,   
   headed by Dr Jones.   
      
   This field study provided valuable information for Dr Hocking's   
   work. Using a life cycle assessment (LCA) -- a methodology for assessing   
   environmental impacts associated with all the stages of the life cycle   
   of a commercial process -- to find out the relative environmental impacts   
   of a range of chemical and physiochemical knotweed management methods.   
      
   The researchers went beyond a focus on the use and end-of life if these   
   methods and assessed the environmental impacts of different management   
   methods including the production of materials and herbicides required   
   to achieve knotweed control; something that is often overlooked when   
   we evaluate sustainability. For the study, the team selected methods   
   commonly used for knotweed management and used real-world data on time   
   consumption, amount of materials used and economic costs to evaluate   
   their relative environmental impacts.   
      
   Of the methods tested, they found that the simplest approach --   
   glyphosate- based foliar spray control methods -- used the least   
   materials, had the lowest environmental impacts, the lowest economic   
   costs and is, therefore, the most sustainable approach to tackle knotweed   
   management. The findings are of significance to those working with or are   
   affected by the presence of Japanese knotweed on their land Dr Hocking   
   added: "Currently there is a big conversation around the sustainability   
   of herbicides and the ecological and human-health impacts of this. Social   
   perceptions of the ways we manage invasive plants are really important,   
   but we need our understanding of sustainability to be rooted in empirical   
   evidence.   
      
   "We hope that this research will contribute to our wider understanding of   
   the sustainability of different approaches in invasive plant management   
   and help to inform current knotweed management practice."   
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Plants_&_Animals   
                   # Nature # Invasive_Species # Endangered_Plants #   
                   Endangered_Animals   
             o Earth_&_Climate   
                   # Sustainability # Environmental_Issues #   
                   Environmental_Awareness # Exotic_Species   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Agroecology o Environmental_impact_assessment o   
             Sustainable_land_management o Climate_engineering o   
             Invasive_species o Urban_planning o Biology o Agronomy   
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Story Source: Materials provided by Swansea_University. Note: Content   
   may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
   ==========================================================================   
   Journal Reference:   
      1. Sophie Hocking, Trisha Toop, Daniel Jones, Ian Graham, Daniel   
      Eastwood.   
      
         Assessing the relative impacts and economic costs of Japanese   
         knotweed management methods. Scientific Reports, 2023; 13 (1) DOI:   
         10.1038/s41598- 023-30366-9   
   ==========================================================================   
      
   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/03/230317144958.htm   
      
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