Pevensey Pennywort Control 2015/16

Tender description

Defra procuring on behalf on Natural England. Pevensey Levels is a 3500 hectare wetland site consisting of wet grassland criss-crossed by over 450 km of human made freshwater ditches. The area is Site of Special Scientific Interest, RAMSAR and Special Area of Conservation because of the plants and animals found in these ditches. The aquatic alien Floating Pennywort was first recorded on Pevensey in 1995. In 2009 Environment Agency and Natural England jointly funded a survey for the plant and found that 10% of water courses and approximately 45km were infested. Floating Pennywort is harming the site and needs to be controlled and ideally eradicated. Environment Agency and Natural England have trialled various control methods to assess how effective they are at removing Floating Pennywort and what impact the treatments have on the sensitive plants and animals of the protected site. The first year and second years of the treatment took place in 2013-14 and 2014-15. This contract is for the third year of treatment to take place during 2015-6.