The status of biological invasions in South Africa
About biological invasions
Biological invasions are a large and growing concern—globally and in South Africa. Many thousands of species have been translocated from their native ranges to novel environments, where some have become invasive. Biological invasions threaten native biodiversity, reduce the ability of ecosystems to deliver vital services like adequate water supply, and have direct negative impacts on the well-being of millions of people by threatening their health and the country’s rural economy.
How South Africa is dealing with the problem
The South African government has implemented legislation to deal with biological invasions, and has invested substantially in biosecurity and control measures to prevent biological invasions and mitigate their impacts. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment over 1.5 billion Rand between 2020-2023 to control invasions, but money is also spent by other governmental agencies, NGOs and private individuals. The report provides details on: 1) the pathways along which alien species are introduced and move around the country; 2) the status and impacts of over 3 500 alien species; at least a third of which are invasive; 3), the degree to which sites are invaded and impacted; 4) the effectiveness of the full range of interventions that South Africa has used to address the problem; and 5) the status and management of invasions on the Prince Edward Islands (South Africa’s sub-Antarctic territory).
About the report
SANBI — the South African National Biodiversity Institute — is mandated, in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act of 2004 and its Regulations, to report every three years to the Minister on the status of biological invasions and the effectiveness of control measures.
The report acts to improve the links between policy, on-ground management, research, and monitoring and evaluation. It thus helps inform the development and ongoing adaptation of appropriate policies and control measures, both to reduce the negative impacts of biological invasions, and to retain any benefits of invasive species where desirable and possible.
The first report was released in 2018, and the second in 2021. The third report is now available.
How the report is undertaken
The report is led by SANBI in collaboration with the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB), and is compiled with contributions from a wide range of individuals from numerous organisations. The report is based on information from a range of sources: inputs from experts and practitioners, atlas data, published scientific papers and theses, as well as management records from government agencies. To ensure the saliency of the report, draft versions were sent out for public review by experts and stakeholders, which resulted in the inclusion of additional information and schools of thought. A research and advisory committee was also established to provide oversight of the process.
The structure of the reports
The report is organised around four aspects:
- pathways of introduction and dispersal;
- alien species;
- invaded sites; and
- the effectiveness of interventions
The report is based around a set of indicators that were developed to assess trends and identify gaps in the evidence required to inform decision making. For more information follow this link. These indicators include four high-level indicators (one for each aspect) which were specially developed for use in the national suite of environmental indicators on which the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment reports on a regular basis.
Useful links and previous reports
The Status of Biological Invasions and their Management in South Africa 2019 (report)
The Status of Biological Invasions and their Management in South Africa 2019 (video)
The Status of Biological Invasions and their Management 2017
Biological Invasions in South Africa (an encyclopaedic open access book published in 2020 parallel to the production of the second report) Special issue of the journal African Biodiversity and Conservation (Bothalia) (published in 2017 parallel to the production of the first report) Special issue of the journal African Biodiversity and Conservation (Bothalia) (published in 2017 parallel to the production of the first report)
Special issue of the journal NeoBiota on frameworks used in invasion science (published in 2020)
Thematic Assessment Report on Invasive Alien Species and their Control | IPBES secretariat
Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology (CIB) (an inter-institutional Centre of Excellence established in 2004 within the DSI-NRF Centres of Excellence Programme, and the main partner for producing the status reports).
Invasive species South Africa (a general web-site with information on all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa).
Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment
References and how to cite these reports
The first report
For citations in the scientific literature: Van Wilgen, B.W. & Wilson, J.R. (Eds.) 2018. The status of biological invasions and their management in South Africa in 2017. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch and DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch. ISBN: 978-1-928224-18-1
For citations in policy documents: SANBI and C•I•B, 2018. The status of biological invasions and their management in South Africa in 2017. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch and DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch. ISBN: 978-1-928224-18-1
The second report
For citations in the scientific literature: Zengeya, T.A. & Wilson, J.R. (eds.) 2020. The status of biological invasions and their management in South Africa in 2019. pp.71. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch and DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch. http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3947613 ISBN: 978-1-928224-41-9
For citations in policy documents: SANBI and CIB 2020. The status of biological invasions and their management in South Africa in 2019. pp.71. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch and DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch. http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3947613 ISBN: 978-1-928224-41-9
The third report
For citations in the scientific literature: Zengeya, T.A. & Wilson, J.R. (eds). 2023. The status of biological invasions and their management in South Africa in 2022. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch and DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch. pp. 122. http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8217182.
For citations in policy documents: SANBI and CIB. 2023. The status of biological invasions and their management in South Africa in 2022. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch and DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch. pp. 122. http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8217182.
For more information:
Contact: Tsungai Zengeya
Phone: +27 21 799 8408
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