Invader Detectives: EDRR in Urban Landscapes

Abstract

Stopping invasive species early in the invasion process has the potential to save hundreds of billions of dollars and avert damage to agriculture, natural areas, and human health. While urban areas pose particular challenges to early detection, they also present special opportunities. Urban areas and their ports of entry host higher concentrations of invasive species and, with increasing travel and transport, the number of species introduced to urban areas will increase. Along with many invasive species, urban areas contain many citizens interested in being citizen scientists and the potential for taxonomic experts to be associated with major institutions of learning. Early detection is an effective strategy and citizen scientists are effective data collectors. We present a model called Invader Detectives that harnesses existing data collection by citizen scientists to support early detection of invasive species in urban areas. The data-driven approach is being implemented as a pilot project in the metropolitan Washington DC area but we hope to find partners in urban areas across the country to create a nation-wide network of Invader Detective chapters. The Invader Detectives structure is reviewed and lessons learned are reported.