The Himalayan balsam is seen as one of the most problematic invasive species of plants and is a great threat to biodiversity. This summer, the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (Naturskyddsföreningen), in collaboration with Skellefteå municipality, arranges meetings to get rid of the Himalayan balsam and reduce its spread.
– The Himalayan balsam adds nutrition to the ground. The nutrient input is so great that it becomes inhospitable for our other plants and they die. It pushes out our Swedish meadow flowers and they are also in bloom for a very short period which affects the pollinators who lose out on nutrition, says Yvonne Håkansson, board member in Naturskyddsföreningen in Skellefteå.
The first meeting took place last Wednesday and the twelve people who came managed to fill twenty bin bags full of Himalayan balsam. Yvonne Håkansson thinks it is important to stop the spread of the plant but is critical of the work having to be caried out on a voluntary basis and would have liked to see greater engagement from politicians.
– This is a community effort as the new government unfortunately has withdrawn all money to the municipalities even though it is legally required to remove the Himalayan balsam.
The meetings will continue all summer and on the Wednesday evening they are to meet by Viktoriabron and clear the area along the river. Everyone who wants to are welcome to join us.
– You don’t need to register before. You can just show up as you are but it might be a good idea to wear long sleeves, long trousers and gloves, says Yvonne Håkansson.