Development of alien and invasive taxa lists for regulation of biological invasions in South Africa

Abstract

Background: Lists are fundamental for guiding policy and management of biological invasions. The process of developing regulatory lists of alien and invasive taxa should be based on scientific evidence through an objective, transparent and consistent process.Objectives: In this study, we review the development of the lists for the alien and invasive species regulations in terms of section 97(1) of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (NEM:BA) (Act No. 10 of 2004).Method: Lists published in the National Government Gazette were compared and assessed for changes in the taxa listed and their status between 2009 and 2016. Minutes from expert workshops convened to inform the listing were reviewed. Relevant information such as the criteria for listing taxa was extracted from minutes of the workshops.Results: Three draft versions were produced and published in the Government Gazette for public comment before the final list was published in August 2014 and promulgated in October 2014. The list is to be reviewed regularly and additional species can be added, and the status of species can be changed as additional evidence of threat levels is available – and was even amended in May 2015. The various stakeholders involved in the listing process were academics, conservation experts, managers and the general public through an inclusive process which included participation workshops or through public comment. A scoring tool based on the likelihood of invasion versus the impact of invasion was recommended for evaluating the risk of a species, but was rarely used. A number of issues relating to conflicts and approaches for listing were faced during development of lists.Conclusion: We conclude with some recommendations for future refinements in the listing process, including improving transparency and participation as well as developing standardised approaches for listing.

Patterns of permit requests and issuance for regulated alien and invasive species in South Africa for the period 2015‐2018

“…For instance, the US economy loses up to an average of 7.7 billion dollars of income to invasive plant species annually (Pimentel et al, 2005), likewise in South Africa it has been estimated that the control of AIS between 1997 and 2016 costs the country US$ 27 million (van Wilgen, Fill, Govender, & Foxcroft, 2017). These costs are likely to increase over the course of time due to increasing trade and other economic activities between countries, as well as the import and export of animal and plant species for various activities such as the pet trade, horticulture and sport hunting, within the country (Moshobane, Mukundamago, Adu‐Acheampong, & Shackleton, 2019).…”

Occurrence Record of and Possible Invasion by Scarlet Sage (Salvia coccinea Buc’hoz ex Etl.) in South Africa

“…Perhaps citizen science would help to generate the distributional and ecological data of alien species on a national scale (Anderson et al, 2017). This information is essential for the management of invasive species, in order strategically to allocate surveillance and control efforts that are aimed at limiting the spread and impact of this land-invasive species (Moshobane et al, 2019).…”

An impact assessment of alien invasive plants in South Africa generally dispersed by native avian species

“…Consequently, impacts associated with biological invasions have led to the development of impact assessment tools intending to quantify the impacts posed by alien invasive species (Nentwig et al 2016;Rumlerová et al 2016;Bartz and Kowarik 2019). The impact assessment tools are based on scientific evidence (Kumschick et al 2015;Moshobane et al 2019), comparable across different regions and taxa ) and allow for the synthesis of impact data (Vilà et al 2019). Several tools have been developed.…”

“…As part of the global biodiversity goals, most countries worldwide are committed to preventing the introduction of high-priority species or minimising their impacts (Moshobane et al 2019;Verbrugge et al 2019). The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA, now Department of Environment, Forestry & Fisheries, DEFF), through the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), aims to eventually conduct an impact assessment for all listed species as invasive under the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA).…”