Program

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have a mandate to protect biodiversity, secure ecosystem services and support human health and well-being. Biological invasions undermine the ability of MPAs to meet these goals. Despite this recognition, the ability of South African conservation agencies to respond to invasions has been very limited. This has been addressed by developing a close working relationship with agencies that has included information sharing, training, collaboration and resource pooling. A prerequisite for evidence-based decision-making in alien species management, are complete species lists and routine monitoring. However, in a South African context, the resources available to meet these goals are limited. In response, field survey methodologies have been optimised and approaches have developed for unlocking high quality citizen science data – ultimately leading to the detection of eight species previously unreported from South Africa. Using a modelling approach to combine information on the environmental and habitat requirements of species and the pathways that link locations along the coast, a process has been developed for identifying MPAs that are at risk of invasion by newly recorded species. This will support MPAs in identifying taxa for which they need to develop site specific contingency plans, a key step in the pre-emptive management of impactful invaders. Strong interpersonal and interinstitutional relationships coupled with sound science have been key to developing an uncontested scientific basis for managing invasions in South African MPAs.