The study’s research would apply to a number of heritage sites in South Africa. These included, Barberton Makhonjwa Mountains, Cape Floristic Region, iSimangaliso Wetland Park and Vredefort Dome. The Koeberg Nature Reserve (pictured) was one location which is a part of the Cape Floristic Region. PHOTO: Supplied/ Ross Shackleton.
An international project aimed to create a monitoring and reporting framework to protect World Heritage Sites (WHS) from invasive alien species was devised, with the help of three researchers affiliated with Stellenbosch University (SU).
This was according to prof Dave Richardson, director of SU’s centre of excellence for invasion biology, and a contributor to the study.
Richardson was joined by his colleague, prof John Wilson, science lead for the South African National Biodiversity Institute’s Directorate Of Biological Invasions, in contributing to the study. Dr Ross Shackleton, formerly from SU but now at the institute of geography and sustainability at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland, was the lead author for the research paper.
Their research first appeared online in the journal Biodiversity and Conservation, on 30 August.
“We hope that this article can build awareness, but also hopefully in the future, lead to a better repository of data,” said Shackleton.
Facts and figures. This infographic aims to briefly explain four characteristics and findings of this research framework. INFOGRAPHIC: Michael Brown.
Nevertheless, one of the study’s greatest limitations was that it yielded inconsistent data at times, Shackleton said.
“The big thing is that there was not a consistent manner of reporting how invasive species are impacting sites or how they are being managed, making it hard to draw meaningful conclusions from the data,” said Shackleton.
According to Richardson, there is currently limited information on such invasive alien species – which include animals, micro-organisms and plants – and he hopes the study will encourage agencies and authorities to give more attention to better data gathering practices.
“Such information will increase awareness of the problem and help to justify the allocation of resources to ensure that appropriate management is conducted,” Richardson said.
The Vredefort Dome was one local location that was used to test this research framework. It is currently located in the Free State. PHOTO: Igmar Grewar.
“I would hope to be involved in future work relating to implementing this framework, but it would be good to have international stakeholders like the International Union for Conservation of Nature [IUCN] on board as well,” he said.
According to Bastian Bertzky, an advisor to the IUCN World Heritage Programme, applying this new framework to WHS will give a more accurate assessment of the threat posed by invasive alien species.
“Better information on potential pathways for new invasive species, the invasive species already present, their impacts and their management can not only improve monitoring and reporting but should indeed support the management of the sites,” he elaborated.