The Extent and Effectiveness of Alien Plant Control Projects in South Africa

Since 1995, the South African government has spent at least ZAR 15 billion (unadjusted for inflation; approximately USD1 billion) on alien plant control operations across South Africa. The amount spent per year has risen exponentially since 2010, and in 2019 annual spending is around ZAR 2 billion per year. Based on a small (but growing) number of case studies that have assessed management effectiveness, it is clear that the cover of invasive alien plants has been reduced in some localised areas, but continues to grow in others. A number of factors contribute to success, but the effort and resources required for successful control appear to be routinely under-estimated, with actual costs between 1.5 and 8.6 times higher than initial budget estimates. Currently, therefore, control measures (other than biological control) have largely failed to check invasions at a national scale, and there have been no documented eradications of plant invasions from continental South Africa. We argue that control can be considerably improved by effective prioritisation, goal-setting and planning; monitoring of outcomes rather than of inputs; ensuring that the existence of multiple goals does not lead to confusion over priorities; developing methods to reduce the under-estimation of the costs of control; adherence to best practices and standards; simplifying the currently complex contracting and employment models; and using a variety of methods to resolve or reduce conflicts over species that have commercial or other value, but cause significant environmental damage. Addressing these challenges will be difficult, but would be essential if plant invasions in South Africa are to be brought under control.