Box 12.4 (continued)
If the new NEM:BA regulations are followed, no new taxa should be
introduced through the pet trade without a risk assessment that shows that
they are not a threat to the country. However, illegal trade in pets is fairly
common (Rosen and Smith 2010) and online trade poses a considerable risk
for the importation of potentially invasive taxa (Derraik and Phillips 2010). A
further challenge for managing the pet trade is that animals may be incorrectly
labelled or misidentified, with the result being that the true identity of these
taxa remains unknown (Collins et al. 2012). The main risks therefore currently
stem from pets which are already present in captivity, and those established in
the wild which might become invasive given enough time and opportunity
(e.g. van Wilgen et al. 2008).
Many of the socio-economic factors (e.g. the development of new technologies)
that influenced the introduction of alien taxa during this period also played a role in
within-country dispersal. The advent of the internal combustion engine and the
development of motor vehicles spurred the construction of a road network in
South Africa in the first half of the twentieth century (Mitchell 2014a). This
development, as well as many others [e.g. the further expansion of the harbour
system (see Box 12.3)] probably facilitated the intentional and accidental dispersal
of alien taxa within the country. For instance, the within-country dispersal of Corvus
splendens (House Crow) was probably aided by ships travelling along the coast
(Dean 2000; Lever 2005; Measey et al. 2020, Chap. 5, Sect. 5.3.2), while inter-basin
water transfer schemes constructed during this period facilitated the dispersal of fish
to new river systems (see Box 12.2; Weyl et al. 2020, Chap. 6).
Box 12.5 Contaminants on Imported Plants and Plant Products
Plants and their products have a long history of being moved around the world
by humans, and along with these plants, terrestrial invertebrates have been
accidentally transported and introduced to regions where they are not native
(figure below). One of the first known plant contaminant introductions to
South Africa occurred in 1886, when Daktulosphaira vitifoliae (Grape Phylloxera) was imported along with grapevine planting material (de Klerk 1974).
As this species had devastating impacts in Europe, its introduction initiated the
development and implementation of South Africa’s first plant quarantine
measures.
(continued)
336
K. T. Faulkner et al.
If the new NEM:BA regulations are followed, no new taxa should be
introduced through the pet trade without a risk assessment that shows that
they are not a threat to the country. However, illegal trade in pets is fairly
common (Rosen and Smith 2010) and online trade poses a considerable risk
for the importation of potentially invasive taxa (Derraik and Phillips 2010). A
further challenge for managing the pet trade is that animals may be incorrectly
labelled or misidentified, with the result being that the true identity of these
taxa remains unknown (Collins et al. 2012). The main risks therefore currently
stem from pets which are already present in captivity, and those established in
the wild which might become invasive given enough time and opportunity
(e.g. van Wilgen et al. 2008).
Many of the socio-economic factors (e.g. the development of new technologies)
that influenced the introduction of alien taxa during this period also played a role in
within-country dispersal. The advent of the internal combustion engine and the
development of motor vehicles spurred the construction of a road network in
South Africa in the first half of the twentieth century (Mitchell 2014a). This
development, as well as many others [e.g. the further expansion of the harbour
system (see Box 12.3)] probably facilitated the intentional and accidental dispersal
of alien taxa within the country. For instance, the within-country dispersal of Corvus
splendens (House Crow) was probably aided by ships travelling along the coast
(Dean 2000; Lever 2005; Measey et al. 2020, Chap. 5, Sect. 5.3.2), while inter-basin
water transfer schemes constructed during this period facilitated the dispersal of fish
to new river systems (see Box 12.2; Weyl et al. 2020, Chap. 6).
Box 12.5 Contaminants on Imported Plants and Plant Products
Plants and their products have a long history of being moved around the world
by humans, and along with these plants, terrestrial invertebrates have been
accidentally transported and introduced to regions where they are not native
(figure below). One of the first known plant contaminant introductions to
South Africa occurred in 1886, when Daktulosphaira vitifoliae (Grape Phylloxera) was imported along with grapevine planting material (de Klerk 1974).
As this species had devastating impacts in Europe, its introduction initiated the
development and implementation of South Africa’s first plant quarantine
measures.
(continued)
336
K. T. Faulkner et al.