Alien flora lays waste to our land

14 Oct 2015

South Africa's vegetation is under siege from invasive alien plants that threaten to wipe out vast tracts of grazing land. Professor Brian van Wilgen of Stellenbosch University's Centre for Invasion Biology said it is estimated that the country is losing R6.5-billion a year to the alien plants.

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He said: "We have estimated that 10 million hectares have been invaded by 180 alien species.

"We have estimated that our ecosystems deliver services - water from catchments, grazing for animals and other harvested products - that are worth at least R152-billion annually."Of this value, we currently lose about R6.5-billion every year due to invading alien plants."

He said alien species displaced native species, drove rare species towards extinction and reduced the capacity of rangelands to support livestock. Many depleted water sources and increased the risk of fires.

Launching its Invasive Species Week yesterday the City of Cape Town urged residents to be on the lookout for alien plants.

Source: The Times

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