Box 1.1 (continued)
The regulations, amongst other things, also require the development and
adoption of management plans by organs of state; the development of a
register of state-funded research projects and results; and the production of a
national status report (Box 1.2).
Box 1.2 The First Status Report on Biological Invasions in South Africa
In terms of South African legislation (regulations under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, Act 10 of 2004), the South African
National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) has to submit a report on the status of
biological invasions, and the effectiveness of control measures and regulations, to the Minister of Environmental Affairs every 3 years. The first report
was released in October 2018 (van Wilgen and Wilson 2018).
The report was compiled by a team from SANBI, in collaboration with the
Centre for Invasion Biology at Stellenbosch University, involving 37 contributors from 14 organisations. It is the first report globally that provides an
assessment of the status of all aspects of biological invasions at a national
level. It covers pathways of introduction and spread, the extent, abundance and
impact of individual species, and the richness and abundance of invasive
species in particular sites, and their collective impact on those sites. In
addition, the report assesses the effectiveness of control measures, and the
effectiveness of regulations on the control of alien species.
In order to report on these aspects, the team developed a set of indicators for
assessing status at a national level (Wilson et al. 2018). The framework of
indicators is intended to facilitate the inclusion of biological invasions in
environmental reporting at national and international levels.
Key high-level findings included that approximately seven new alien species have recently been recorded as establishing annually at a national level;
that over 100 species were already having major impacts; that 1.4% of the
country was experiencing major impacts; and that management success levels
were around 5.5%. The level of confidence in these estimates was low,
however, because the data on which they were based were scattered and
incomplete (figure below).
(continued)
16
B. W. van Wilgen et al.
The regulations, amongst other things, also require the development and
adoption of management plans by organs of state; the development of a
register of state-funded research projects and results; and the production of a
national status report (Box 1.2).
Box 1.2 The First Status Report on Biological Invasions in South Africa
In terms of South African legislation (regulations under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, Act 10 of 2004), the South African
National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) has to submit a report on the status of
biological invasions, and the effectiveness of control measures and regulations, to the Minister of Environmental Affairs every 3 years. The first report
was released in October 2018 (van Wilgen and Wilson 2018).
The report was compiled by a team from SANBI, in collaboration with the
Centre for Invasion Biology at Stellenbosch University, involving 37 contributors from 14 organisations. It is the first report globally that provides an
assessment of the status of all aspects of biological invasions at a national
level. It covers pathways of introduction and spread, the extent, abundance and
impact of individual species, and the richness and abundance of invasive
species in particular sites, and their collective impact on those sites. In
addition, the report assesses the effectiveness of control measures, and the
effectiveness of regulations on the control of alien species.
In order to report on these aspects, the team developed a set of indicators for
assessing status at a national level (Wilson et al. 2018). The framework of
indicators is intended to facilitate the inclusion of biological invasions in
environmental reporting at national and international levels.
Key high-level findings included that approximately seven new alien species have recently been recorded as establishing annually at a national level;
that over 100 species were already having major impacts; that 1.4% of the
country was experiencing major impacts; and that management success levels
were around 5.5%. The level of confidence in these estimates was low,
however, because the data on which they were based were scattered and
incomplete (figure below).
(continued)
16
B. W. van Wilgen et al.