Pressé, M. (2019). Student maps Niagara’s invasive species. Retrieved 13 March 2020, from https://phys.org/news/2019-10-student-niagara-invasive-species.html
As a part of a senior thesis at Brock University, Lyn Brown created the Niagara Region Aquatic and Riparian Invasive Species Control Database. The map collects and lists all activities managing invasive species in Niagara. The thesis includes an interactive map (found at https://brocku.ca/unesco-chair/research/invasive-species/#1564802523841-c76d0b74-ba8f ) that displays all of the locations of control efforts and program information. Brown writes that, “The overarching goal of this database was to make a resource that could be an information and networking tool for organizations in the Niagara region”. The majority of entries in the database are foreign plants, with the most common being phragmites transported from Eurasia. Another significant menace to the Niagara region is the Zebra mussel. The native Russian is almost globally invasive since the 1980’s. The Zebra mussel can clog pipes, power plants, and other infrastructure. Brown’s database highlights the Ontario Power Generation’s Dreissena Mussel Program, which details treatment designs and infrastructure maintenance.
Brown’s control database is a great platform to help organizations and agencies manage invasive species. As the Brock University site points out, “the database permits organizations to contact one another to collaborate in terms of sharing resources; prioritizing sites/invasives to manage; and finding and addressing gaps in where invasives are not being managed”. By creating such a big picture map of invasive species management, Brown allows for a more comprehensive approach to biosecurity in the Niagara area.
This seems like a highly sophisticated technology! Do you think something like this could be used in other parts of the world? Maybe to map viruses?
That’s a very apt point right now. During this pandemic, a data base for healthcare centers and providers to communicate and collaborate would be incredibly useful.
I agree with your last statement that it allows for a more comprehensive approach to biosecurity in the Niagra area. I was just wondering what they might be doing with all this information. And would it work as well in bigger areas?
I think a great use of this database would be to connect interested parties, like university students and research groups, to current and important projects. Due to the local nature of invasive species, I believe this type of database is more useful on a smaller local scale.