The crowdsourced invasive species control scheme will start in May. The controlling of invasive species is important because invasive species displace native species, reduce biodiversity and can lead to significant environmental management costs.
The species to be controlled this season are Himalayan balsam and lupine. The eradication of lupine will start at the end of May, and Himalayan balsam will be eradicated from mid-June onwards. The eradication of Himalayan balsam, in particular, is encouraged with higher-than-usual rewards. The work will start well before the seeding stage in order to ensure the most effective control.
“Crowdsorsa has been in use in Helsinki since 2024, and, so far, the experience has been good. Crowdsourcing is a powerful tool for controlling invasive species. Young people, in particular, are enthusiastic about using the game to control invasive species. An important development is the redirection of control to sites that have been controlled in previous years, as the most important thing in the control of invasive species concerns recurrence and continuity,” says Project Manager Armi Koskela with the City of Helsinki.
Updated app to make prevention even more effective
In the app, the player searches for invasive species on a map. Especially in early summer, at the beginning of the growing season, it is important to identify the leaves, as the colourful flowers do not appear until later in the summer. Detailed instructions on how to eradicate invasive species can be found in the app and on the Crowdsorsa website.
The mobile game has been improved to make it more user-friendly based on feedback. For example, this summer, each plant species will have its own separate task in the app. More control is now being directed to previously controlled areas to enhance the measures.
Instructions have been improved through visuals, including the use of clear picture cards. Each task includes a short test questionnaire to ensure that the user is familiar with species identification and basic control principles. The test questionnaire can be completed as soon as the local task is published in the application.
“Last year, players who completed invasive species tasks in Finland cleared more than 2.8 million square metres of land of invasive species. It is a tremendous achievement. I believe that we can set a new record this summer," says Toni Paju, CEO of Crowdsorsa.
Total of €13,000 in rewards up for grabs
This summer in Helsinki, a total of €13,000 in rewards will be awarded to participants. Players can earn up to 20 euros an hour. The size of the reward is automatically determined by the area, density and species of the occurrence. You can also find bonus areas on a local map, where you get a higher reward for removing plants.
You can play until the end of August or as long as there is reward money left, and you can track your progress on the app.
Crowdsorsa is an internationally award-winning start-up company based in Tampere, Finland, whose mobile game has already been used to benefit the environment in seven countries.