Give a talk about invasive species and how to prevent their spread. If you’d rather watch a talk stay tuned for details
Create an awareness-raising display in your office, classroom, clubhouse etc. Download aposter (PDF) and free awareness-raising materials below from our website
If you work or volunteer outdoors, book in a training session on biosecurity, identification or recording for your team. Find free online traininghere
Arrange a corporate volunteering day for your team – contact a Local Action Group near you to get involved in managing non-native plants
Share Be Plant Wise materials with your family and friends, or even a local garden centre to encourage gardeners to dispose of plants responsibly and avoid them spreading into the wild
Arrange a Check Clean Dry demonstration at your angling / paddling / sailing club to show how easy it is to keep your kit free of invasive species
Put together a trail or hold tours for visitors highlighting all the invasive non-native species in your collection, any native species that are impacted by them, and any stories about how they were introduced and the impacts they could have on the environment
Run a competition or quiz to design an invasive species
Arrange a lunchtime walk with others to look out for common invasive species near you
Create a display with information on invasive species and how everyone can help to prevent their spread
Contact local media to raise awareness of invasive non-native species and your work
Enlist any celebrities you know to support Invasive Species Week!
Online activities:
If you aren’t able to do any of the activities above, you can still play an important role by raising awareness online! Follow us@InvasNI on Twitter and remember to use #INNSweek in your social media posts. Let your colleagues, visitors, volunteers, classmates know that Invasive Species Week is happening and encourage them to take part:
Include articles in your newsletter, website, blog, membership magazine, mailing list. We’ll be adding some key facts here to help you soon. Think about which species are most relevant to you and the audience you’re trying to reach, local or business issues are more likely to get their attention
Share information on social media. During Invasive Species Week follow @InvasNIon Twitter, retweet posts and create additional posts of your own if you can. Remember to use#INNSweek in any posts on social media. Each day we’ll be focusing on a key theme, find details above
If you work or volunteer outdoors, book in a training session on biosecurity, identification or recording for your team. Find free online training here
Live-stream from the field or film a survey to show which non-native species are likely to be seen on a walk
Put together a virtual tour for visitors highlighting all the invasive non-native species in your collection, any native species that are impacted by them, and any stories about how they were introduced and the impacts they could have on the environment
Run a competition or quiz to design an invasive species
Enlist any celebrities you know to support Invasive Species Week
Ideas for museums, botanic gardens, zoos, aquaria, other outdoor sites:
Educate visitors about what non-native and invasive non-native species are. Most non-native species are harmless but 10-15% become invasive non-native species which spread and harm wildlife and the environment, the economy, and even our health.
Explain how non-native plants and animals were historically introduced (e.g. stories of plant hunters, or collectors of exotic animals).
Highlight any plants or animals in your collection which have been impacted by invasive non-native species, for example through:
Predation
Competition
By animal or plant disease spread by invasive species, such as Phytophthora on rhododendron or crayfish plague spread by non-native crayfish
Highlight any plants or animals in your collection which have had a harmful impact in areas outside their native range.
Explain why it is important to prevent non-native species from spreading into the wild, and how visitors can help to do that at home (see our “five things you can do”).
This could be through photos on social media, a virtual video tour, an onsite display, or a treasure hunt / trail for visitors picking out specimens to see.
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