In order to implement the National Strategy on Invasive Alien Species, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) has joined forces with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in the European battle against invasive alien species as part of the European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN).
As part of the work of EASIN, ‘The Invasive Alien Species in Europe’ app has been developed. This app will enable the public and researchers to report invasive alien species in Malta and the EU.
For implementation and research to be effective in both policy making and control of alien species, it is important to raise awareness and understand the distribution of alien species, their invasive potential and prioritise accordingly. The new app facilitates the dissemination of information, surveillance, the adoption of efficient measures for prevention as well as early detection and control, leading to reduction of ecological and economical damages that IAS may cause.
To this end, ERA adapted the EASIN app to the local Maltese environment with detailed information and photos of the listed plants and animals making it possible for anyone to capture images of these species and submit a report including location and any relevant complementary information, using their own mobile phones’ GPS system and camera. The application also contains basic information (description, habitats, impacts etc.) on each of the invasive alien species of EU concern, including pictures and maps showing the distribution of the various species in Europe based on validated submissions.
The EASIN app was translated into Maltese with additionally prepared factsheets for 27 species (23 flora and 4 fauna species) which are of direct interest to Malta.
ERA urges the public to start using this app which will help win the battle against invasive alien species not only in Malta, but also in Europe in general.
Further information:
The Invasive Alien Species in Europe app is available on Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.europa.publications.mygeossias&hl=en_US&gl=US
 The EASIN, or European Alien Species Information Network, was established upon the recognition of the increasing serious threat posed by alien species in Europe and facilitates the exploration of existing IAS information from a variety of distributed information sources through freely available tools and interoperable web services, compliant with internationally recognized standards. For more information visit era.org.mt
20 December 2021
