Welcome to the Invasive Plant Watch Network
Watch for invasive plants !
Help the Invasive Plant Watch Network track invaders !
Invasive plants put ecosystem ecological integrity at risk and often have negative economic impacts. Moreover, invasive species are known worldwide as the second greatest cause of loss of biodiversity. Thus, to protect a region as wide as the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River, it is essential to map their distribution and follow their dispersion to better control them. To accomplish such a huge task, observers throughout the region are needed to assist in the gathering of data and in early detection of new threats.
Network members are invited to note their observations on the map available online on this web site. Gathered information is also made available to provincial, national and international georeferenced data banks.
For your information, descriptions and botanical features of the targeted invasive plants are presented in the species description sheets. Often, invasive plants are observed near urban centres, in fallow lands, bare soils, roadway sides, etc. One thing these plants have in common is the pathways of introduction and dissemination: ornamental horticulture, aquarium hobby and boating are the main vectors.
Follow this link to see the information sheets in PDF format (in French only).
20 species are currently being monitored by the Network.
360 members are currently participating in the site’s database development.
2569 observations have currently been reported.
How can I add an observation?
- You must first register with the Network.
- Enter your login and password, and then log on.
- You can now add your observations to our database. You will have to fill out a short form about the environment where the species were observed.
- Once the form has been filled in, you must add a photograph to enable us to validate your observation. If you do not submit a photo, or if the photo does not clearly identify the species you observed, your observation will be kept on file but not validated. Please see the "How to take photos" section to learn how to photograph various species.
For more details about the observation form, please refer to the "Help and Hints section".
