{"id":6524,"date":"2024-04-24T15:57:26","date_gmt":"2024-04-24T13:57:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/cib\/?post_type=project&p=6524"},"modified":"2025-07-25T12:19:31","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T10:19:31","slug":"the-effect-of-climate-change-on-the-impacts-of-invasive-species-in-south-african-protected-areas","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/cib\/project\/the-effect-of-climate-change-on-the-impacts-of-invasive-species-in-south-african-protected-areas\/","title":{"rendered":"The effect of climate change on the impacts of invasive species in South African protected areas"},"content":{"rendered":"

PROJECT BACKGROUND<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) and Addo Elephant National Park (AENP) are important protectors of native biodiversity. These systems and the services they provide are, however, threatened by invasive species. A deep understanding of invasion dynamics within these parks is required for management targets to be achieved.<\/p>\n

The successful applicant will explore temporal invasion dynamics in TMNP and AENP by using historical records, ground truthing them with field surveys and projecting future invasions under climate change scenarios. The candidate will quantify the impacts of select invasive species within the two parks using the Ecological Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) and Socio-economic Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (SEICAT) schemes. In a novel approach, the candidate will consider how mechanisms of impacts identified may change under future climate change scenarios. Finally, the candidate will model the potential distribution and spread of these impactful species within TMNP and AENP. Resulting species lists will be submitted to SANPARKs and SANBI to contribute to the National Status Report on Biological Invasions, while EICAT\/SEICAT assessments contribute to the IUCN\u2019s database of alien species\u2019 impacts, hosted on the Global Invasive Species Database.<\/p>\n

FUNDING<\/h4>\n

The running costs for the project are fully funded. The successful applicant will be supported in applying for NRF, SANBI, Stellenbosch University and departmental bursaries.<\/p>\n

REQUIREMENTS<\/strong><\/h4>\n