Power of the App!

 

So far I’ve spoken about some of the difficulties caused by invasive/alien species, but how as a member of the public can we help combat these invasions? 

Well the answer is simply “PlantTracker!"

The Environment Agency, the University of Bristol and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology have teamed up and developed a FREE app allowing the public to identify some of the UK’s most problematic invasive, non-native plant species. 

The PlantTracker app allows users to very easily identify 14 invasive plant species (e.g. Rhododendron) with the help of an image gallery and a detailed description of each plant species. What is also great about this app is that it also includes a “Confusion Species” gallery, making it easier to distinguish non-native from similar looking indigenous plants. Furthermore, once you have identified one of the invasive plant species using the app, you can submit a geo-located photo of the specimen.

PlantTracker screenshot options

 

Why an app?

It is crucial to gather solid data to make important decisions on how to manage and deal with the problem of invasive plant species. However, it is usually very difficult collect verifiable and accurate data about the distribution of these invasive plant species. But by combining the smartphone application with the power of crowd-sourcing data collection, the app allows real time and verifiable data to be collected (see below).

Map showing the distribution of Rhododendron reports.
(The red dots indicates the number of verified Rhododendron records)

Where can I get the app?

PlantTracker is available free from the iTunes App Store and Android Market. So go on, why not give it a go and download the app? I’ve already downloaded mine!