A crucial part of protecting our environment from the threat of invasive species is knowing detailed information on their numbers and locations. Without a detailed map of their distributions across Europe, we cannot begin to prevent further spread or plan large-scale control programmes. Unfortunately, many of our records for these species are patchy, from unreliable sources and lacking accurate location information.
To tackle this problem, RINSE created and launched ‘That’s Invasive!’, a library of species biology, ecology, identification tips and images available at the touch of a finger allowing you to identify, photograph and record over 35 invasive non-native species commonly found within Europe. The app is available in three languages and can be downloaded on both iPhone and Android systems. Using this app, RINSE hopes to harness the data gathering capacity of the general public, making them our eyes and ears across Europe in the hunt for invasive species. Records from ‘That’s Invasive!’ are verified by an expert using the geo-tagged photographs.
Thumbnail image for tool