The European Network on Invasive Alien Species (NOBANIS) is a gateway to information on alien and invasive species in North and Central Europe. NOBANIS covers marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments and provides a distributed but integrated database on introduced species in the region fact sheets on many of the most invasive aliens a catalogue of the regulation relevant to invasive species in participating countries a literature database a photo bank connects to regional and global networks and projects of invasive aliens species The European Network on Invasive Alien Species (NOBANIS) was established as a network between authorities of the region. The network was initiated with funding by the Nordic Council of Ministers. One of the main goals is to provide tools for implementing the precautionary approach against the unintentional dispersal of invasive alien species. It also establishes regional cooperation to aid countries in eradication, control and mitigation of these species. The database of alien species in NOBANIS will be used to identify species that are invasive at present and species that may in the future become invasive. The database also provides information on how the species is introduced, its distribution in the region, what habitats it may inhabit, what ecological and socio-economic effects it may have and references to relevant literature.