In the Netherlands, 11 non-governmental species organisations collaborate with the national Invasive Alien Species Team in the IAS Citizen Science Project. This project aims to encourage and facilitate volunteers and professionals to collect and report sightings of (invasive) alien species. It is unique in the sense that it is not limited to one species or species group, but covers a broad range of taxa. Support activities include identification keys, and several outreach activities such as a popular newsletter (www.ravon.nl/nieuwsbriefexoten) with 1.600 subscribers and educational activities at local nature organisations. The information exchange among species organisations and local networks has many benefits. Volunteers receive information on species they would normally not consider or report. The wide network of Dutch citizen scientists therefore has the potential to engage tens of thousands of volunteers in early warning projects. This approach has proven to be effective in increasing the number of records of many species, the discovery of new IAS, as well as a broader range of taxa being reported by individual volunteers.
Touch-me-not – Impatiens
American bullfrog
Sculpins and gobies
Alien birds
Recognise the squirrel
The Kijk op Exoten digital newsletter is published four times a year. You can register for the newsletter and download all previous publications here.
Please contact J.v.Delft(at)ravon.nl (RAVON Foundation) for more information about the Alien Species Signalling Project.
