Alien species in South Africa’s national parks
Date
2011-08
Authors
Spear, Dian
McGeoch, Melodie A.
Foxcroft, Llewellyn C.
Bezuidenhout, Hugo
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
AOSIS OpenJournals
Abstract
Invasive alien species (IAS) are one of the major threats to biodiversity in protected areas and
pose a significant management challenge (see Allen, Brown & Stohlgren 2009; Pyšek, Jarošík &
Kučera 2002). One of the first steps towards managing IAS in protected areas is establishing which
alien species are present, followed by ongoing surveillance and prevention efforts to combat new
introductions (Foxcroft et al. 2009). Information on the identity and traits of alien species is needed
for conducting risk assessments and prioritising species for control, as well as for monitoring
management effectiveness in preventing new introductions (McGeoch et al. 2010). It also provides
a first step towards monitoring the extent of occurrence of alien species in national parks.
Description
Keywords
Invasive alien species (IAS) -- South Africa, Biodiversity -- National parks -- South Africa, Invasive plants -- National parks -- South Africa
Citation
Spear, D., McGeoch, M. A., Foxcroft, L. C. & Bezuidenhout, H., 2011, Alien species in South Africa’s national parks, Koedoe 53(1), art. 1032, doi:10.4102/koedoe. v53i1.1032