higher than estimated current reductions (Le Maitre et al. 2016). All of these studies
strengthened the evidence base on the negative impacts of invasive alien species,
which in turn made it possible to raise funding from the Department of Environmental Affairs for research and management (see also Le Maitre et al. 2020,
Chap. 15; O’Connor and van Wilgen 2020, Chap. 16; Zengeya et al. 2020,
Chap. 17).
Work at the CSIR, often in collaboration with others, also provided some of the
first robust assessments of progress with alien plant control projects carried out under
the auspices of WfW. In some cases, this work suggested that good progress was
being made (Esler et al. 2010; De Lange and van Wilgen 2010; Impson et al. 2013),
while other studies pointed to cause for serious concern, notably because control
projects only reached a small proportion of the invaded area (van Wilgen et al.
2012b), and because implementation was sometimes not efficient (McConnachie
et al. 2012). In response, the CSIR team made proposals for the prioritisation of alien
plant control projects that would focus scarce funds on the most important areas
(Forsyth et al. 2012) and facilitated cross-institutional debate on appropriate
responses to management challenges (e.g. van Wilgen et al. 2012a).
2.9 Research on Biological Invasions at the Institute
for Plant Conservation (1993–2004)
The Institute for Plant Conservation (IPC) was established at the University of Cape
Town in 1993, through a generous endowment from Mr Leslie Hill. Prof. Richard
Cowling led the Institute from 1993 to 2000, and he was followed as Director by Prof.
Timm Hoffman in 2001. Richardson joined the IPC in 1993 and served as the Deputy
Director from then until 2004. His research direction was primarily dictated by the
strategic objectives of the IPC, and he managed two of the IPC’s five research
programmes (“Invasive Plant Ecology” and “Disturbance and Restoration Ecology”).
Richardson used his time at the IPC to establish himself in the field of invasion
science. In 1997, he was appointed as Editor-in-Chief of the Wiley journal Diversity
and Distributions, a position he held until 2015; the journal included the ecology and
biogeography of invasions as one of its focus areas. In 1998, he conceptualised,
pulled together, and published (as sole editor) a multi-authored book on the ecology
and biogeography of Pinus (Richardson 1998). The production of this volume,
involving 40 authors from nine countries, was a remarkable achievement when
one considers the global economic importance of the genus, and the fact that the
editor hailed from the southern tip of Africa, far removed from the natural range of
pines. He was also involved in the supervision of 15 (masters and doctoral-level)
post-graduate students, including Steve Higgins and Mathieu Rouget who themselves went on to publish important papers in the field of invasion science
(e.g. Higgins et al. 2000; Rouget et al. 2004).
2 A Brief, Selective History of Researchers and Research Initiatives
49
strengthened the evidence base on the negative impacts of invasive alien species,
which in turn made it possible to raise funding from the Department of Environmental Affairs for research and management (see also Le Maitre et al. 2020,
Chap. 15; O’Connor and van Wilgen 2020, Chap. 16; Zengeya et al. 2020,
Chap. 17).
Work at the CSIR, often in collaboration with others, also provided some of the
first robust assessments of progress with alien plant control projects carried out under
the auspices of WfW. In some cases, this work suggested that good progress was
being made (Esler et al. 2010; De Lange and van Wilgen 2010; Impson et al. 2013),
while other studies pointed to cause for serious concern, notably because control
projects only reached a small proportion of the invaded area (van Wilgen et al.
2012b), and because implementation was sometimes not efficient (McConnachie
et al. 2012). In response, the CSIR team made proposals for the prioritisation of alien
plant control projects that would focus scarce funds on the most important areas
(Forsyth et al. 2012) and facilitated cross-institutional debate on appropriate
responses to management challenges (e.g. van Wilgen et al. 2012a).
2.9 Research on Biological Invasions at the Institute
for Plant Conservation (1993–2004)
The Institute for Plant Conservation (IPC) was established at the University of Cape
Town in 1993, through a generous endowment from Mr Leslie Hill. Prof. Richard
Cowling led the Institute from 1993 to 2000, and he was followed as Director by Prof.
Timm Hoffman in 2001. Richardson joined the IPC in 1993 and served as the Deputy
Director from then until 2004. His research direction was primarily dictated by the
strategic objectives of the IPC, and he managed two of the IPC’s five research
programmes (“Invasive Plant Ecology” and “Disturbance and Restoration Ecology”).
Richardson used his time at the IPC to establish himself in the field of invasion
science. In 1997, he was appointed as Editor-in-Chief of the Wiley journal Diversity
and Distributions, a position he held until 2015; the journal included the ecology and
biogeography of invasions as one of its focus areas. In 1998, he conceptualised,
pulled together, and published (as sole editor) a multi-authored book on the ecology
and biogeography of Pinus (Richardson 1998). The production of this volume,
involving 40 authors from nine countries, was a remarkable achievement when
one considers the global economic importance of the genus, and the fact that the
editor hailed from the southern tip of Africa, far removed from the natural range of
pines. He was also involved in the supervision of 15 (masters and doctoral-level)
post-graduate students, including Steve Higgins and Mathieu Rouget who themselves went on to publish important papers in the field of invasion science
(e.g. Higgins et al. 2000; Rouget et al. 2004).
2 A Brief, Selective History of Researchers and Research Initiatives
49