The Canadian Council on Invasive Species (CCIS) serves as a national voice and hub to protect Canada from the impacts of invasive species.
With members and chapters from all corners of Canada, along with governments and businesses, the CCIS brings people together to build practical solutions to prevent the spread of invasive species.
The national organization is governed by a four-chamber board that brings together governments, businesses, indigenous groups, organizations and chapters to help guide the CCIS in achieving success.
What We Do
The CCIS works with partners across Canada to deliver tools and resources that stimulate Canadians to take action and prevent the spread of invasive species to protect Canada’s ecosystems and communities. The Council’s Action Plan was developed to reflect national priorities mutually identified in national planning sessions while building on the direction of the National Alien Invasive Species Strategy (2004). Since 2008, CCIS primarily focused on key priority pathways of spread, with some work on high priority species such as Giant Hogweed or invasive mussels. The aim is to prevent the introduction of new invasive species and stop the spread of those that are already settled in a corner of the country. Research shows that consistent messaging on ‘sound practices’ targeted to specific audiences can bring about real change in behaviours.
The CCIS remains committed to providing national campaigns with tested resources that will be available to governments, organizations and others to adopt and use locally. Together we can be effective in ‘stopping the spread’. The results are that Canada’s environment economy and society are protected from the damage caused by invasive species.
