Experience and Lessons from Alien and Invasive Animal Control Projects in South Africa

Abstract

South Africa has a rich history of managing invasive alien animal populations. This chapter explores examples of animal control projects, their resourcing and degree of success or failure. Out of 1023 alien animal species present in South Africa, 80 are designated for compulsory control or eradication in national legislation, and 24 are currently being controlled with the aim of eradication or containment. Only two species have been successfully eradicated from mainland SA and its near-shore islands: Otala punctata (the Freckled Edible Snail) and Trogoderma granarium (the Khapra Beetle). These two projects took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and were rapid responses by small groups of role players to small infestations. In contrast, most current projects are larger, involving complex stakeholder management and considerable technical complexity. Three further invertebrate species are currently controlled through integrated pest management (Bactrocera dorsalis, the Oriental Fruit Fly) or nest removal (Vespula germanica, the German Wasp and Polistes dominula, the European Paper Wasp). No marine species are currently subject to control. Among vertebrates, 12 freshwater fish species have been controlled in localised areas, according to their specific listing in legislation and protected area management priorities; two amphibian, two bird and five mammal species are currently subject to control using a wide variety of techniques. Inter-institutional working groups have played a significant role in promoting the success of invasive alien species management in South Africa. Three working groups are actively addressing new and existing invasions, and promoting awareness and cooperation among a wide range of organisations, as well as recording the experience and learning of these groups.

Biological Invasions in South Africa: An Overview

“…There are several marine islands close to the shore of South Africa, and biological invasions and their management on these inshore islands are dealt with in Chaps. 9 and 22 (Robinson et al 2020;Davies et al 2020). South Africa's southernmost territory, the Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island) lie~2000 km south-east of Cape Town in the Southern Ocean.…”

“…Further details of the costs of invasions, and the returns on investment from control are to be found in Chaps. 15, 16, 21, and 22 (Le Maitre et al 2020;van Wilgen 2020;van Wilgen et al 2020a;Davies et al 2020).…”

“…The next charts progress with the development of a system of preventative measures and risk assessments (Kumschick et al 2020). The following chapters focus on control and rehabilitation-biological control of invasive plants (Hill et al 2020b), mechanical and chemical control of alien plants (van Wilgen et al 2020a), ecosystem restoration (Holmes et al 2020), and alien animal control (Davies et al 2020) (note: the management of aquatic plants and alien species on offshore islands are covered in Part II, together with the status of those invasions). Finally, the human dimensions affecting alien species control projects are addressed in terms of the evidence for how people cause invasions, how they conceptualise them, what effects invasive species have on people, and how people respond to them (Shackleton et al 2020, Chap.…”

South Africa’s Centre for Invasion Biology: An Experiment in Invasion Science for Society

“…This has been an important guiding principle; it has meant that CÁIÁB members have been able to study the conflicts of interest that are a key part of invasion science (e.g. van Wilgen and Richardson 2012;Woodford et al 2016;Zengeya et al 2017Zengeya et al , 2020Novoa et al 2018;Davies et al 2020), and through their understanding lead the way toward resolutions, without "taking a stand" on any particular option. The term "invasion science" (the core business of the CÁIÁB) describes the full spectrum of fields of enquiry pertaining to alien species and biological invasions.…”

Knowing-Doing Continuum or Knowing-Doing Gap? Information Flow Between Researchers and Managers of Biological Invasions in South Africa

“…Other groups and regional meetings have been effective in stimulating applied research and its uptake, for example the Cape Invasive Animal Working Group (van Wilgen et al 2014;Davies et al 2020) and the KwaZulu-Natal Invasive Alien Species Forum. Other taxon-specific national working groups have also been established to focus research efforts and provide fora for stakeholders to discuss issues, for example the Cactus Working Group (Kaplan et al 2017) and the Alien Grass Working Group (Visser et al 2017).…”