MILWAUKEE, WI, UNITED STATES, September 9, 2020 — The North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA) is pleased to announce an agreement with the Comisión Nacional Para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad (CONABIO) in México. Both groups seek to promote environmental education to prevent, control and eradicate invasive species, and therefore saw an opportunity to collaborate.
NAISMA manages the educational outreach campaign PlayCleanGo®: Stop Invasive Species in Your Tracks. PlayCleanGo aims to change recreationist behavior by encouraging hikers, bikers, boaters and other outdoor enthusiasts to clean their gear before and after playing outdoors. This simple cleaning behavior helps prevent the spread of invasive species and protect our natural areas.
CONABIO has developed the National Information System on Invasive species, to provide information regarding biological invasions to different stakeholders, and as a basis for informed decisions. Since NAISMA aims to represent invasive species management across all of North America, collaborating with CONABIO is key to achieving the group’s mission.
NAISMA and CONABIO will collaborate by sharing resources and materials to strengthen each organization’s work. CONABIO has agreed to develop an outreach campaign in Spanish. PlayCleanGo trail signs, posters, social media awareness campaigns, and other materials will be displayed in several Mexican recreational areas, through different partners. Additionally, CONABIO will assist in translating PlayCleanGo materials from English to Spanish for use in not only Mexico, but across all of North America.
NAISMA Executive Director, Belle Bergner, is excited to enter this partnership: “We are eager to expand our efforts into Mexico and further strengthen the PlayCleanGo brand for an international audience,” she says. Bergner adds, “Furthermore, we’re excited to offer bilingual materials to our partners in the U.S. and Canada. The PlayCleanGo campaign is fun and inclusive, so offering recreationists information in their native language is one of the best ways to empower them to adopt behaviors consistent with prevention.”
Ana Isabel González-Martínez is head of CONABIO’s invasive species program and commented that, “CONABIO is very pleased to partner with the PlayCleanGo initiative as a way to strengthen regional efforts for the prevention of entry and spread of invasive species. We believe that collaboration is the key to addressing such an important issue and we look forward to implementing the program in Mexico.”
Collaboration efforts between the two groups and translation of materials has already begun. For more information on NAISMA, visit naisma.org; and for more about PlayCleanGo, visit PlayCleanGo.org. For more information on CONABIO, visit gob.mx/conabio and www.invasoras.mx.
—
About North American Invasive Species Management Association
The North American Invasive Species Management Association (NAISMA) is a network of professionals challenged by invasive species: land managers, water resource managers, state, regional, and federal agency directors and staff, researchers, and nonprofit organizations. NAISMA’s members are a diverse group of individuals and organizations who are involved in implementing invasive species management programs at all scales. Our mission is to support, promote, and empower invasive species prevention and management in North America. Our vision is to have North America’s lands and waters protected from invasive species. NAISMA’s programs aim to provide the support, training, and standards needed by the professional invasive species management community.
About PlayCleanGo®: Stop Invasive Species in Your Tracks®
PlayCleanGo is a branded invasive species education and outreach campaign that is owned and operated by the North American Invasive Species Management Association. More than 600 organizations and partners across North America have participated in the PlayCleanGo campaign by using the turnkey marketing solutions offered by the brand. PlayCleanGo aims to change recreationist behaviors associated with pathways of spread for all invasive species taxa. The campaign’s strategy is to use a consistent message across jurisdictions, land management agencies and communication channels through professional outreach materials and messaging. Customizable resources and outreach products are available at playcleango.org.
About Comisión Nacional Para el Conocimiento y Uso de la Biodiversidad
CONABIO is a permanent intersecretarial commission created in 1992. Its mission is to promote, coordinate, support and carry out activities related to biological diversity, conservation, and sustainability. It an applied research organization as well as a source of public information on biodiversity and conservation, that serves as a bridge between academia, government, and society, CONABIO promotes conservation at both a national and local level. For more information, visit gob.mx/conabio and https://www.biodiversidad.gob.mx/
