A study by former C·I·B Hons student, Cally Jansen and C·I·B Core Team Member, Dr Sabrina Kumschick used acacias introduced to South Africa as a case study to compare expert assessments with evidence-based impact assessments.
A review of the peer-reviewed literature was undertaken at the Centre for Invasion Biology (C·I·B) to determine the level of understanding of the impacts of invasions of all taxonomic groups in all natural and semi-natural ecosystems in South Africa.
Impact classification schemes for alien taxa are becoming more prominent as the threats posed by biological invasions increase. A recent study found that despite a high variety of uncertainties occurring in impact assessments, some of which cannot be eliminated easily, communicating their existence, cause and variety can lead to more useful and reliable outcomes of impact assessments.
On 15th September 2020 at the Neobiota conference, the Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa - EICAT for short - was officially launched as a new Standard of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Even though snails and slugs (gastropods) are some well-known agricultural pests, environmental systems are more vulnerable to alien gastropod impacts. A recent study by C·I·B Hons student, David Kesner and C·I·B Core Team Member, Dr Sabrina Kumschick, at Stellenbosch University on this topic was published in the journal Ecology and Evolution.