Two ecologists from the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology at the Stellenbosch University, Prof. Brian van Wilgen and Prof. John Wilson, were the lead authors of South Africa’s first national report on the status of invasive species, published by the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI).
The report, The Status of Biological Invasions and their Management in South Africa 2017, is also the first such country-level assessment anywhere in the world that focuses specifically on biological invasions. The report fulfills the legal requirement of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act No 10 of 2004 (NEMBA), which stipulates that SANBI has to submit a report on the status of biological invasions, and the effectiveness of control measures and regulations, to the Minister of Environmental Affairs every three years.
Media links
- Nature
South Africa’s invasive species guzzle precious water and cost US$450 million a year - SANBI
Minister Hanekom announces release of Status Report on Biological Invasions in South Africa - Business Insider
Alien plants threaten to guzzle a third of the water in Cape Town and PE, according to a state report - Times Live
Why SA is turning into a nation of aliens - Cape Town Etc.
Alien plants suck up 30% of Cape’s water - Business Insider
This is the only one of South Africa’s 72 entry points where environment officials check for alien creatures — and those that sneak through cost us billions
