the projects involving wasps and House Crows did not result in significant opposition from stakeholder groups, as the societal costs of these species’ presence in Cape
Town were clear and did not require appreciation of impacts on ecosystems or the
receiving environment (see Sect. 22.8.1).
22.10.4 Scaling Up
The acquisition of knowledge, better communication and awareness of the successes
and failures of stakeholder engagement and options for improving practice are
advancing but more work is urgently needed. Many of the control operations
described above were undertaken at a local level—i.e. aiming to control a particular
population or set of populations within a municipality or protected area—rather than
on a national or subcontinental level. Conducting invasive and alien animal control
operations at a local level is probably more effective—many of these operations
were successful because they involved relatively small stakeholder groups and were
flexible and efficient in response to changing circumstances and available techniques
and tools. However, although local control operations are appropriate when the
spatial scale of the invasion is small or contained, they can increase the chances of
re-invasion from outside the control area if all populations are not addressed
simultaneously. This is likely to be the case when the distribution of invasive
populations is patchy and invasion pathways cannot be completely shut down.
House Crows are present in four widely spread in the port cities of Richards Bay,
Durban, East London and Cape Town, which span the latitudinal extent of
South Africa’s coastline. Re-invasion through established pathways (Convention
on Biological Diversity 2014) such as shipping (transport—stowaway) or the pet
trade (release from confinement) is possible and likely in some cases. Therefore,
South Africa requires an effective mechanism for scaling individual local operations
up to work across provincial and perhaps national boundaries in cases where
invasions are widespread. In particular, learning needs to be transferred between
the levels of government, for example from local authority level to provincial and
national agencies. Inter-institutional fora such as provincial and national working
groups will be vital in establishing these broader channels of interaction.
22.10.5 Financial and Contract Management
Where external service providers are contracted to carry out operations, the administration and monitoring of these contracts becomes highly important. For example,
several of the projects discussed here are carried out partly or entirely by private
companies that specialise in invasive alien animal control. The projects on Guttural
Toads and House Crows were delayed due to breaks in funding, resulting in lost
opportunities and unchecked increases in the invasive populations. To avoid these
22 Alien and Invasive Animal Control Projects
655
Town were clear and did not require appreciation of impacts on ecosystems or the
receiving environment (see Sect. 22.8.1).
22.10.4 Scaling Up
The acquisition of knowledge, better communication and awareness of the successes
and failures of stakeholder engagement and options for improving practice are
advancing but more work is urgently needed. Many of the control operations
described above were undertaken at a local level—i.e. aiming to control a particular
population or set of populations within a municipality or protected area—rather than
on a national or subcontinental level. Conducting invasive and alien animal control
operations at a local level is probably more effective—many of these operations
were successful because they involved relatively small stakeholder groups and were
flexible and efficient in response to changing circumstances and available techniques
and tools. However, although local control operations are appropriate when the
spatial scale of the invasion is small or contained, they can increase the chances of
re-invasion from outside the control area if all populations are not addressed
simultaneously. This is likely to be the case when the distribution of invasive
populations is patchy and invasion pathways cannot be completely shut down.
House Crows are present in four widely spread in the port cities of Richards Bay,
Durban, East London and Cape Town, which span the latitudinal extent of
South Africa’s coastline. Re-invasion through established pathways (Convention
on Biological Diversity 2014) such as shipping (transport—stowaway) or the pet
trade (release from confinement) is possible and likely in some cases. Therefore,
South Africa requires an effective mechanism for scaling individual local operations
up to work across provincial and perhaps national boundaries in cases where
invasions are widespread. In particular, learning needs to be transferred between
the levels of government, for example from local authority level to provincial and
national agencies. Inter-institutional fora such as provincial and national working
groups will be vital in establishing these broader channels of interaction.
22.10.5 Financial and Contract Management
Where external service providers are contracted to carry out operations, the administration and monitoring of these contracts becomes highly important. For example,
several of the projects discussed here are carried out partly or entirely by private
companies that specialise in invasive alien animal control. The projects on Guttural
Toads and House Crows were delayed due to breaks in funding, resulting in lost
opportunities and unchecked increases in the invasive populations. To avoid these
22 Alien and Invasive Animal Control Projects
655