Invasive species

Invasive species refer to non-indigenous species that would not have been able to spread to its habitat without intentional or unintentional human activity. Rapidly spreading invasive species cause many harms to nature and humans, including displacing native species, eliminating food sources for pollinating insects and butterflies and making it difficult to use green spaces for recreation.

The most common and well-known invasive species in Finland are the garden lupine, rugosa rose, Indian balsam and giant hogweed, which have spread to the wild, as well as the garden pest Spanish slug. The management of risks posed by these invasive species is also required by law.

Participate or organise an invasive species removal event

The control of invasive species is the responsibility of the landowner or the holder of the plot. The city eliminates invasive species on land it owns. The city has focused its control efforts on combating the most invasive alien species, as the city’s resources alone are not sufficient to control the widely spread Indian balsam or garden lupine, for example.

The city encourages residents and associations to organise invasive species removal events, which can be used to stop the spread of alien species and maintain biodiversity. The Kerava branch of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation organises several events related to invasive species every year, to which all interested parties are welcome.

To combat the Spanish slug, the city has introduced three snail bins in areas with the highest detected frequencies of the harmful species. The snail bins are located in Virrenkulma near the Kimalaisketo park area, in Sompio in the Luhtaniituntie green area and in Kannisto in Saviontaipale near Kannistonkatu. The precise locations of the bins can be found on the map below.

Identify and remove invasive species

Correctly identifying invasive species is important to ensure that the right species are removed and to effectively prevent their spread to new areas.

The Environment Centre of Central Uusimaa collects observations on invasive species from Kerava. In particular, observations are collected on the giant hogweed, Indian balsam, butterbur, bellbine and Spanish slug. Observations are recorded on the map, and the date of the observation and the extent of the population are marked. The map also works on mobile.

Observations of invasive species can also be reported in the national invasive species portal.