An approach to the development of a national strategy for controlling invasive alien plant species: The case of Parthenium hysterophorus in South Africa

Bothalia - African Biodiversity & Conservation

 
 
Field Value
 
Title An approach to the development of a national strategy for controlling invasive alien plant species: The case of Parthenium hysterophorus in South Africa
 
Creator Terblanche, Colette Nänni, Ingrid Kaplan, Haylee Strathie, Lorraine W. McConnachie, Andrew J. Goodall, Jeremy van wilgen, Brian
 
Subject — Biological control; geographic differentiation; impacts; indicators; human health; management plans
Description Invasive alien species require co-ordinated strategic management if negative impacts are to be effectively avoided. Here we describe a strategy for the management of Parthenium hysterophorus L. (Asteraceae) in South Africa. P. hysterophorus is an annual herb native to tropical America, which has become invasive in over 30 countries. The strategy sets goals for (1) the prevention of spread to new areas; (2) local eradication of isolated populations; (3) containment in areas where eradication is not possible; and (4) actions to protect assets where containment is no longer an option. We developed both a national strategy to set policy and to monitor progress towards goals at a national level and an implementation plan to set goals and timeframes for their achievement at local levels. It is not clear, at this stage, whether or not the goals of the strategy are achievable because implementation will face many challenges arising from ecological features of the target plant, social and cultural practices that will influence management, inadequate levels of funding and multiple political considerations. Our strategy proposes regular assessment using high-level indicators, a practice that is widely recognised as essential but seldom implemented at a national scale. Because the outcomes are uncertain, it is vital that regular monitoring of outcomes should be instituted from the start, so that both appropriate adjustments can be made to the strategy and lessons for the implementation of similar strategies elsewhere can be derived.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2016-06-24
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — —
Format text/html application/octet-stream text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/abc.v46i1.2053
 
Source Bothalia; Vol 46, No 1 (2016); 11 pages 2311-9284 0006-8241
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://journals.abcjournal.aosis.co.za/index.php/abc/article/view/2053/1980 https://journals.abcjournal.aosis.co.za/index.php/abc/article/view/2053/1982 https://journals.abcjournal.aosis.co.za/index.php/abc/article/view/2053/1981 https://journals.abcjournal.aosis.co.za/index.php/abc/article/view/2053/1973
 
Coverage — — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2016 Colette Terblanche, Ingrid Nänni, Haylee Kaplan, Lorraine W. Strathie, Andrew J. McConnachie, Jeremy Goodall, Brian van wilgen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ADVERTISEMENT