Invasive Non Native Species (INNS) are animals and plants that have been introduced (as a result of human activity) outside their normal range, and which have negative effects on our economy, biodiversity and even health. Aquatic ecosystems (rivers, streams, lakes) are particularly affected by INNS which may be spread by activities such as trade, transport and recreation. The cost to GB of INNS is ~£1.7bn per year (GB Non Native Species Secretariat). Once INNS become established in a river, it is often difficult and expensive to manage them. It is far more cost effective to prevent their introduction in the first place, and to prevent the wider spread of INNS that have established. Such prevention is termed biosecurity. Good biosecurity to prevent the introduction and spread of INNS is a core requirement of the recent EU legislation on Invasive Species and of the GB Invasive Non Native Species strategy. AIM The aim of this proposal is to reduce the risk of the introduction and spread of aquatic INNS in Yorkshire (medium term) and the UK (long term). We will use results from recent research at the University of Leeds and work with project partners from government, charities and business to develop good biosecurity practice in the day-to-day activities of partner organisations as well as the wider community. OBJECTIVES - Identify key invasion pathways by which INNS may arrive - Establish good biosecurity practice/protocols for a range of activities - Develop a biosecurity risk assessment process for events/projects/sites/activities - Promote and disseminate training materials on biosecurity and evaluate uptake and effectiveness. OUR PROJECT PARTNERS ARE: Members of the Yorkshire Dales INNS strategy steering group: The Environment Agency (EA), Yorkshire Water (YW), Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (YWT), Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA), Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (NAONB), Natural England (NE), Forestry Commission (FC), National Trust (NT), Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust (YDRT), Ribble Rivers Trust (RRT), Dales to Vale River Network (DVRN) Other partners: Yorkshire Invasive Species Forum (YISF), Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). The project also has the support of the GB Non Native Species Secretariat. OUTCOMES The outcomes that we envisage from this project are twofold; 1) improved regional biosecurity practice adopted by our project partners; 2) improvement of INNS biosecurity nationally through adoption of evidence informed approaches and policy. Both have the impacts of reducing risks and associated costs to our biodiversity and economy of INNS introduction and spread

The Yorkshire Ouse basin, which encompasses the cities of Leeds, York and Sheffield as well as the rivers Aire, Calder, Derwent, Don, Swale, Wharfe, Ure and Nidd is home to 6.7% of the UK population, 30% of the Northern Powerhouse region and includes 10 metropolitan boroughs. The region includes a variety of different environments, from large urban areas to lowland agriculture and sparsely populated uplands including National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. As such, it is a perfect location to instigate a programme of work which uses existing NERC-funded science to identify, develop, test and improve integrated solutions on a range of environmental impacts. This encompasses mitigation of drought and flood risk through improved connectivity between weather forecasting, land management and water resource management; improvements in water quality for both human water supply and rivers/other water bodies; and better management of soils for improved regional food security and carbon storage (in woodlands and peatland). By integrating these aspects of weather, land and water, it will enable better plans to be made for the region that allow for sustainable development as the population grows whilst protecting the valuable natural environment. Ultimately, by creating a region that is better able to deal with a more variable climate, it will become an area that attracts investment as people and their businesses opt to live and work in an area that has adapted to the severe effects of environmental change, with improved quality of life. Many major global companies already have their water headquarters or global environmental head offices in the region together with a range of SMEs and large businesses whose interests include catchment management. As such, there is considerable momentum behind the Yorkshire Integrated Catchment Solutions Programme - Yorkshire iCASP - which seeks to deliver economic and social impacts to the region. Yorkshire iCASP will capitalise on existing NERC-funded science to develop tools, strategies, plans and policies to promote hazard resilience, mitigation of extreme events (floods and droughts), develop flood forecasting capability, improve water quality, enhance soils and farm practice and develop a joined-up approach for land and water management. iCASP has been co-created by partners drawn from local authorities, government agencies, major infrastructure/utility owners, private sector service providers, academic institutions, and third sector organisations who will work together to produce and deliver a work programme that seeks to enhance the economic and societal status of the region. Outcomes from the collaboration will deliver tools and techniques with applicability outside the region, creating services and products which can be used around the world to further benefit the region and the UK economy more generally. Examples of the projects that have been discussed in the work programme include development of green financing enterprises; development of new tools to better link flood forecasting with impacts on rivers and different land management practices; decision-support tools that allow different area-specific flood/drought management scenarios to be evaluated; and raw water management approaches that reduce the cost of water treatment. All will have different, and often multifaceted, impacts on society and the wider environment so another important aspect of iCASP is the documentation and evaluation of the projects implemented as part of the work programme, measuring the changes that they contribute to the regional, and national, economy as well as the growth of iCASP partners through leveraged investment, job creation and wider societal benefits.

YORKSHIRE DALES ENVIRONMENT NETWORK INTRODUCTION In the Yorkshire Dales the long interaction of people and nature has created a place with a unique mix of natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage: giving us the habitats for which the Dales are recognised and the ecosystem services which they provide. Conserving and enhancing this rich environment involves reconciling economic, conservation, social and cultural requirements, each represented by different stakeholders. Protecting these special qualities and reconciling the diverse interests thus requires effective collaboration between many stakeholders. MISSION Our aim is the formal creation of a network of organisations involved in the care and management of the Yorkshire Dales. The network's mission is, through changes in philosophy and practice, to achieve a step improvement in the strength and breadth of communication and collaboration between its members. This will lead to the most effective use of the diverse range of skills and resources available for the benefit of the Dales landscape and people. BACKGROUND The formation of the network fits with the now overwhelming recognition that conservation must be practised at the landscape scale and that environmental protection will only be made more effective through better communication and collaboration between public, private and voluntary sectors, and government and local communities. The Dales are a microcosm of the national state, and a coherent geographical and administrative region in which we can address these concerns. Formation of the network will allow partners to benefit from the latest thinking, methods and findings direct from the research community and to benefit more effectively from each other's expertise and resources. The researchers will gain access to field sites and environmental data and with the partners be able to formulate research programmes of direct relevance to the community. By acting together, the network can address environmental and biodiversity management at all levels from the site-specific to the landscape scale. OBJECTIVES In order to formalise and make best use of the Network we will: i. TRAIN A COORDINATOR who will identify the partners' requirements and respond by - RUNNING A SERIES OF EVENTS that facilitate and enhance the planning and execution of the partners' own missions. Events include; ii. WORKSHOPS will focus primarily on the current and developing needs of the partners but promoting new initiatives. A primary aim of most workshops will be the formation of a working group of partners best equipped to address particular issues. WORKING GROUPS arising from the workshops will be tasked with the practical implementation of actions arising from the workshops iii. ANNUAL CONFERENCE will bring together partners to showcase the year's activities and to look to future projects and strategic development of the Network. It will bring together a wider range of partners than form the workshops and working groups, encouraging broader exchange of knowledge, expertise and collaboration. It will also be outward facing, with activities to engage public and press. iv. EXHIBITIONS to promote the activities of the Network and encourage participation beyond the Network v. WEBSITE development to build a lasting point of contact, information exchange and public interface TOGETHER WE WILL: > increase the breadth and depth of collaboration among network partners > promote a lasting change in culture and practice in the network