What are invasive alien species?
Invasive species are among the biggest threats to wildlife habitat, biodiversity, and the web of life. They can be a plant, animal, fish, bird, reptile, amphibian, invertebrate, even a disease. Alien species can include species that were originally found in one part of Canada but have now moved into another area, such as moose in Newfoundland, or they can come from outside of Canada, such as the pigeon. However, regardless of the species and where they came from, one thing is certain, alien species are overrunning our lands and waters and forcing native plants and animals out of their homes. Alien species can be introduced legally or illegally, intentionally or accidentally. For instance, purple loosestrife was intentionally introduced from Europe during the 1800s as a garden ornamental plant and zebra mussels were accidentally introduced from the ballast water of ships.
