Invasive Species Awareness Week

The Invasive Species Centre in Sault Ste. Marie is embarking on a social media campaign to get people talking about the threat posed by non-native animals, insects and plants. Invasive Species Awareness Week, or ISAW, is a partnership between the centre and various agencies across Canada.

An invasive species is described as an organism that causes – or is likely to cause – ecological, economic or social harm in an environment where it is not local to. The harm comes in the form of crowding-out native species or competing for light, water or food. They can also act as carriers for diseases and parasites that local species are vulnerable to.

"Invasive species are the second greatest threat to biodiversity globally, of course, Sault Ste. Marie included in there," said Lauren Rogers with the centre.

"They're definitely a problem, but we are really happy to be doing events like Invasive Species Awareness Week to raise awareness about them and how we can help prevent them."

Rogers said it is important for the public to know how invasive species make their way here – such as shipping containers on a vessel, e-commerce, or even by purchasing invasive plants.

She told CTV News the campaign covers ways to identify invasive species and how and where to report them.

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Invasive Species Awareness Week takes place Feb. 20-26.

Officials with the centre said they are encouraging people to be part of the discussion on social media, using the hashtag #InvSpWk.

For more information on invasive species and the centre, visit their Facebook page.