On 7 November 2018, the NBN Atlas Wales released the Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) Portal. The Portal supplements the GB Non-native Species Information Portal and its Alerts mechanism by providing a new facility to view and search for INNS specifically of interest to Wales.
An invasive alien species (also known as an invasive non-native species) is any non-native animal or plant that has the ability to spread causing damage to the environment, the economy, our health and the way we live. Once introduced, INNS can be extremely difficult and costly to contain or eradicate.
The INNS Portal includes over 300 terrestrial, freshwater and marine species of interest to Wales and allows species occurrences and distribution to be searched for and downloaded individually or collectively by list. Species include those listed under EU and national legislation and those of policy and practical interest, including those identified as Wales Priority Invasive Non-Native Species for Action by the Wales Biodiversity Partnership INNS Group.
Wales has commitments under the GB Invasive Non-Native Species Strategy to take action to prevent, detect, eradicate and manage INNS. The INNS Portal will support these commitments by giving better access to INNS data. As well as being of help in Wales, the unique access to species via lists will be of benefit at GB, UK and European level.
To keep the data on NBN Atlas robust and up-to-date, we need your help in recording sightings of invasive species. The free to download iRecord App and the newly launched LERC Wales App makes recording sightings by phone very easy. Recording using either app will contribute to a better understanding of where invasive species are, how they spread and their impact. See the GB Non-Native Species Secretariat Species recording webpage for more information.
For help in getting started on the INNS Portal see the INNS Portal User Guide.
