DIGITAL technology is proving invaluable in the fight against invasive species, which increasingly threaten Scotland's environment at a cost of hundreds of millions of pounds a year.
Signal Crayfish, American Mink and plants such as Rhododendron ponticum have long been recognised as having a serious impact. But two new mobile apps, which allow people to quickly and easily record sightings of non-native species, are reaping rewards by helping to track different species and monitor the effects of climate change.
The AquaInvaders app allows people across Scotland to report freshwater invasive species, while the Sealife Tracker covers marine invasives, as well as a number of native species that indicate climate change.
The two apps join PlantTracker, which was the first app to allow the public to easily record what, where and when they saw invasive non-native species in Scotland and throughout the UK. About 15,000 people have downloaded the app since it 2012, uncovering locations where invasive species were unknown before.
The apps have already led to a rare recording this autumn when a trigger fish - common in the Mediterranean but spotted more and more in the south and south-west of England - was seen around Mull. The species' movement is a climate change indicator.
Scot Mathieson, principal policy officer for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, said: "The new apps are a great way to involve the public in some of the work underway to conserve Scotland's indigenous species from the spread of invasive, non-native wildlife."
The agency says invasive non-native species are the second most-serious threat to global biodiversity after habitat loss, with the control of non-native species costing the Scottish economy around £246 million a year.
Stan Whitaker, SNH's invasive non-native species expert, said: "You don't have to be a diver or snorkeler to help us find out more about the invasive threats in Scotland's waters."
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