Promoting community-based surveillance of economically important invasive species in lower-income economies: a case study of the suckermouth catfish (Pterygoplichthys pardalis) in Bangladesh

Abstract

The distribution of invasive species in lower-income economies is relatively poorly understood, and many countries do not actively curate a list of species invasions or have programs to monitor or mitigate the effects of non-native species within their borders. Methods leveraging new technologies and expanding access to the internet may offer the opportunity to support low-cost and large-scale monitoring efforts. Here, we demonstrate how the use of online news coverage can support initial attempts to map the distribution of an economically-important, non-native freshwater fish in Bangladesh (Ptergoplichthys sp.), which is native to tropical regions of South America. By initiating new collaborations between the scientific and online journalism communities, governments and organizations may be able to enhance their abilities to map the distribution of non-native species and develop new programs to support public awareness of species invasion at relatively low cost.