Protecting our native white-clawed crayfish from the invasive American signal crayfish

An Environment Agency partnership project to conserve native white-clawed crayfish in Nottinghamshire is now in its third year.

The Signal Crayfish Control Project, led by the Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group, hopes to build on the success of the past two years, to support recovery of white-clawed crayfish in Nottinghamshire.

Native white-clawed crayfish have been in decline since non-native American signal crayfish escaped into UK waters in the 1970s. These larger, invasive crayfish outcompete native species for food and habitat and carry a disease fatal to the UK species.

Peter Haynes, Biodiversity Officer at the Environment Agency in the East Midlands said:

Last year the project in Nottinghamshire saw the capture of 5,702 signal crayfish, which followed on from the capture of 7,800 signal crayfish in the previous year. This is a great result and after two years there are indications that the numbers and size of the non-native crayfish are reducing, which is a real positive.

We have been working with the Nottinghamshire Biodiversity Action Group and Nottinghamshire City Council and, most importantly, an army of volunteers to control the invasive signal crayfish in west Nottinghamshire.

Whilst we are encouraged by the signs of change, we still have a long way to go until we are satisfied our native crayfish populations are protected. We are also looking at creating ‘ark’ havens for the white-clawed crayfish to secure their future by relocating them to areas free from the invaders.

White-clawed crayfish, named for the pale colour of the underside of their claws, are the country’s largest native freshwater crustaceans. Generally growing to 30 – 40mm in length, some can live up to 12 years and reach 120mm long from tip to tail.

Invasive species pose a serious threat to our native wildlife and cost the UK economy £1.8 billion a year. Everyone can do their part to prevent the spread of invasive species and protect native ones by taking care to follow the biosecurity steps of thoroughly checking, cleaning and drying their clothes and equipment any time they have been in the water.

For more information visit the Non-native Species Secretariat website.

By 2030, nearly half of Kenyans will be living in cities. With half of Kenya’s population aged under 18, many young people are moving to urban areas in search of jobs, opportunities and more choices. Kenya’s growing urban population need sustainable, resilient, affordable housing; getting this right is key to Kenya’s development.

In recognition of this, the UK and Kenya co-hosted a two-day symposium on affordable housing and sustainable infrastructure on 21 and 22 May at Strathmore University, supported by the Global Challenges Research Fund and the UK Collaborative on Development Research.

The symposium brought together more than 200 policymakers, leading researchers, business and civil society delegates to explore the potential for new innovative collaboration on affordable housing and sustainable infrastructure.

Hosted at the request of the UK-Kenya High-Level Oversight Board on Science, Technology and Innovation, the symposium showcased how strong partnerships between UK and Kenyan stakeholders are delivering innovations in housing and urban development – from changing how people apply for mortgages, to using technology to turn plastic waste into pavements.

Among those in attendance were the British High Commissioner to Kenya Nic Hailey, Chief Administrative Secretary Ministry of Transport Hon Chris Obure, Housing Secretary State Department of Housing and Urban Development Patrick Bucha and Katherine Muoki Director of Infrastructure, Science, Technology and Innovation, State Department of Planning.

Speaking at the event, British High Commissioner Nic Hailey reiterated the UK Government’s commitment to progress on affordable housing and sustainable infrastructure.

He said:

The UK is proud to support the Big 4 agenda in Kenya, and to work with the Kenyan Government to address the challenge of delivering affordable housing for all. To deliver on this policy priority, we need to leverage research, technology and innovation, and this joint symposium is doing just that.

Minister for Africa, Harriett Baldwin said:

Affordable Housing and Sustainable Infrastructure are challenges everywhere, so it is good news that the UK and Kenya are working together to turn world-leading research and innovation into practical solutions to benefit us all.

Mr. Peter Okwanyo, Secretary Administration, State Department for University Education and Research, Ministry of Education said:

Research, Science, Technology and Innovation presents a unique platform for the generation of new knowledge to overcome barriers to affordable housing, healthy cities, resilience and affordable urban infrastructure. Affordable housing is recognized as an enabler to the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UK-Kenya Partnership is a powerful tool for application in the enhancement of their attainment.

Dr Jaideep Gupte, GCRF Challenge leader for cities and sustainable infrastructure said:

Ensuring urban residents have access to affordable and adequate housing is one of the big issues in Kenya. Building new houses is only part of the solution which also involves providing access to health and education services, safe public spaces and to the jobs and opportunities that are replete in cities. Recent GCRF investments support Kenya-UK collaborations doing cutting edge and policy relevant research on issues ranging accessing healthcare to embedding disaster risk management into urban development.

The symposium was organized by the Governments of the UK and Kenya with support from the UK Collaborative on Development Research (UKCDR), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Global Challenges Research Fund and Strathmore University. The symposium showcased innovative housing technologies and research from around the world.

A joint statement from the UK and Kenyan Government UK-Kenya Housing Symposium Joint Statement (ODT, 500KB) following the symposium announced a commitment to continue working together on affordable housing and sustainable infrastructure research, policy and practice in Kenya.

The Joint UK-Kenya Oversight Board in Research, Science and Innovation was established in 2018 to provide strategic guidance on UK-Kenya partnerships on science and innovation and is co-chaired by the British High Commissioner in Kenya and the Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Education, Kenya.

The UK’s contribution to affordable housing research in Kenya is worth an estimated £13.0m (initiated between FY 2013/2014 –2017/18 and active during 2017/18) with 15 research projects relating to housing in Kenya focused on:

• Public land use
  • Upgrading slums and informal settlements
  • Zoning and urban planning
  • Social housing
  • Supportive ecosystems and infrastructure
  • Competitive construction costs
  • Green building codes for sustainability
  • Social housing
  • Access to affordable financing for housing

Through the five-year £60 million Sustainable Urban Economic Development (SUED) programme the UK is also supporting 10 municipalities across Kenya develop sustainable urban economic plans and attract investment for critical infrastructure and value chain projects.

The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) supports cutting-edge research and innovation that addresses the global issues faced by developing countries. It is a £1.5 billion fund which forms part of the UK Government’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment and is overseen by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), and delivered through nine delivery partners including UK Research and Innovation (comprising the research councils, Research England and Innovate UK), the UK Academies, the UK Space Agency and other funding bodies.

The UK Collaborative for Development Research (UKCDR) is a collaborative of government and research funders working in international development. UKCDR exists to amplify the value and impact of research for global development by promoting coherence, collaboration and joint action. The core contributing members include BEIS, Department for International development (DfID), Department for Health & Social Care (DHSC), UKRI, and Wellcome Trust.

The UK and Kenya co-hosted a two-day symposium on affordable housing and sustainable infrastructure, bringing together more than 200 delegates in Nairobi

The work will better protect more than 4,500 properties from tidal flooding