The Invasive Species Strategy for BC is a strategic framework for improved invasive species management in British Columbia. It offers a foundation for invasive species work across BC and provides key recommendations and actions needed to achieve effective invasive species management.
The Invasive Species Council of BC (ISCBC) is the secretariat of the Strategy, and the ISCBC incorporated input from stakeholders across BC, including the SSISC, to update the Strategy for 2024-2028.
Early Detection Rapid Response (EDRR) is a proactive approach to managing new invasive species to BC that prevents establishment and subsequent impacts through targeted species risk assessment, verification, containment and eradication. BC EDRR activities are guided by the BC Invasive Species EDRR Plan, which provides detailed direction on the decisions and actions required to address new incursions anywhere in BC.
The BC government maintains a list of provincial-scale high-priority invasive species in BC, as well as indicator reports and species profiles.
The BC Invasive Mussel Defence Program’s goal is to prevent the introduction of zebra and quagga mussels into B.C. It includes:
- BC Watercraft Inspection Program
- Zebra & Quagga Mussel EDRR Plan for BC
- Lake Monitoring for the presence of invasive Zebra and Quagga mussel larvae (SSISC has been participating in this program in 2017)
- Legislation, resources, reports and more
Pest Management Plans (PMP) outline an Integrated Pest Management approach for the control of invasive plants on provincial public land, and include prevention strategies, manual/mechanical treatment methods, biological and cultural control methods, and chemical control methods. There are 4 plans for BC, covering Southern Interior, Central & Northern BC, South Coastal, and South Coastal Mainland (the region that SSISC lies within).
InvasivesBC is British Columbia’s new invasive species database, map and mobile data collection application that was launched in 2023.
The data in InvasivesBC is entered by a wide variety of user groups including SSISC, on an ongoing basis.
SSISC maintains a more detailed internal geodatabase for both plant and animal observations, treatment records and monitoring data. Site-scale invasive plant survey and treatment data from SSISC’s internal database is uploaded regularly to InvasivesBC.
There is currently no public-facing map available for Invasives BC, but this feature is expected to be launched in a future release.
St. John’s Wort is one of the species that can be mitigated with biocontrol.
The BC Government uses biocontrol agents to reduce invasive plant populations to ecologically and economically acceptable levels, and to prevent invasive plants from spreading into new areas. To find out more about biocontrol efforts in BC, you can read more here.
SSISC works with the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) to manage the threat of invasive species through an integrated and collaborative approach. The RMOW Invasive Species Management Plan reflects input by key stakeholders and outlines goals, key objectives, management strategies and actions to be taken.