Scale-area curves have been used in conservation science as an affordable means of identifying shrinking populations that need protection. Invasions are the result of populations of invasive species that are spreading and becoming dominant in areas to which they have been introduced.
Freshwater fish invasions are a major source of environmental homogenisation around the world; unique species assemblages are increasingly being overwhelmed by large numbers of introduced species. While active human-mediated introductions contribute to this process, there are also many passive pathways of fish introductions.
Public works programs are government job-creation initiatives that use labour to create or restore public infrastructure, for example, roads, hospitals, and in some cases, ecological restoration of degraded land.
South Africa is world renowned as a leader in the science and management of biological invasions, but has been lagging behind in one key area—eradication. As of 2010 South Africa had ~8750 introduced plant taxa, 660 recorded as naturalised, 198 included in invasive species legislation, but only 64 subjected to regular control.
Ecological risk assessments are used to identify potential invasive species from the pool of introduced species in a given country or area, and to assess the seriousness of their impacts. C·I·B researchers have developed a qualitative risk assessment method for determining the risk of establishment and spread of the invasive Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in the Limpopo River basin in northern South Africa.
