The invasives group on the India Biodiversity Portal are running a campaign this month to map the spread of invasives across the country. It will be very valuable if we can get large scale information on invasives and their distribution in India. If you think it approporiate, could you please circulate the campaign among members of indiatreepix. 
Join us this August to map the distribution of alien invasive species.

Alien or exotic species are species that have been introduced deliberately or accidentally to regions beyond their natural distribution. The subset of these species that have become problematic in their introduced environments are termed ‘invasive’, and the issue of invasive species is of growing concern, globally. In India, the rapid proliferation of numerous exotic invasive species of plants and animals poses a serious threat to biodiversity and can have severe impacts on the country’s agricultural economy. Through SPAIS, we aim to document the distribution of several common alien invasive species across India. We invite you to join us in a collaborative campaign to map these intruders and in doing so help to obtain important clues to their management and control. The campaign will focus on a selected subset of known and easily identifiable alien invasive species. (See the ‘SPAIS list’ below, or download the pamphlet.)

How to participate:

  • Join or organise a group walk on documenting alien invasive species in your locality or go on a walk by yourself.
  • Spot any invasive species from the above list in your neighbourhood.
  • Photograph these species with at least two images of each invasive including one of the species in its habitat.
  • If you cannot photograph these species, compile a list with location coordinates.
  • Upload your observations on the SPAIS group or through the IBP Android app.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three contributors and for the top two photo essays. For more details please see here.

Resources:

So join us, take a SPAIS walk, upload a photograph, tell a story! We look forward to your participation. For further information and feedback, please contact us at spais@indiabiodiversity.org


this is a very important effort
we should also be paying attention to indigenous weeds, may be?


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