Group of 5 NPCA employees standing with Dr. Marilyne Carrey (center)
Group of 5 NPCA employees standing with Dr. Marilyne Carrey (center)

Group of 5 NPCA employees standing with Dr. Marilyne Carrey (center)

03.10.2025

NPCA Hosts Invasive Species Workshop with Community Partners

On February 24, the NPCA hosted an Invasive Species Workshop to begin coordinating an integrated, landscape-scale approach to the successful management of invasive species in the Niagara Peninsula watershed.  

Invasive species are one of the top threats to biodiversity in Canada and the Niagara Peninsula watershed is a hotspot. Each year, we face an increasing number of new and emerging threats from invasive species, leading to significant economic, social, and environmental impacts.

This workshop was the start of a coordinated approach to invasive species management, creating an opportunity to leverage available resources, expertise, and funds from various industries and organizations.

Attendees discussed the development of an Invasive Species Strategy to guide the prevention, detection, monitoring, and management of priority invasive species in a multi-partner, collaborative approach. Discussion focused on phragmites, an invasive plant that many jurisdictions, including the Niagara Peninsula watershed, are working to manage. Recently, NPCA signed an agreement with the Invasive Species Centre to become the Phragmites Management Area (PMA) lead in the Niagara Peninsula watershed and are beginning to establish a PMA Collaborative to determine how to best manage the plant in the area.

The workshop featured presentations from the Invasive Phragmites Control Centre, NPCA’s Geographic Information System (GIS) and Land Planning teams, and the Invasive Species Centre, as well as breakout group work facilitated by Dr. Marilyne Carrey from Brock University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre. NPCA’s GIS team is also working with Dr. Carrey on a multi-partner collaborative approach to mapping and analyzing the spatial extent of Phragmites across the watershed and begin implementation of Phragmites control in priority areas.   

Collaborating with municipalities and community partners will help us address invasive species management with a standard approach and shared resources that will help Niagara Peninsula watershed communities and businesses alike.

We thank everyone who participated, including individuals from:

Previous Article