Assessing the status of biological control as a management tool for suppression of invasive alien plants in South Africa

Biological control of invasive alien plant (IAP) species is the use of introduced, highly selective natural enemies (usually herbivorous arthropods or pathogens) to control plants. It has been used in 130 countries as a valuable tool for the control of IAP species, with a total of over 550 biologica...

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Main Authors: Zachariades, Costas, Paterson, Iain D, Strathie, Lorraine W, Hill, M P, van Wilgen, Brian W
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: 2017
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59762
https://doi.org/10.4102/abc.v47i2.2142
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spelling ndltd-netd.ac.za-oai-union.ndltd.org-rhodes-vital-276462018-12-11T04:30:22ZAssessing the status of biological control as a management tool for suppression of invasive alien plants in South AfricaZachariades, CostasPaterson, Iain DStrathie, Lorraine WHill, M Pvan Wilgen, Brian WBiological control of invasive alien plant (IAP) species is the use of introduced, highly selective natural enemies (usually herbivorous arthropods or pathogens) to control plants. It has been used in 130 countries as a valuable tool for the control of IAP species, with a total of over 550 biological control agents having been released (Winston et al. 2014). The benefits of biological control to natural ecosystems are significant (Van Driesch et al. 2010), with some specific examples of threatened indigenous species being protected by the action of biological control agents (Barton et al. 2007; Meyer, Fourdrigniez & Taputuarai 2011). Detailed analyses of programmes on biological control of IAPs have also clearly indicated that the risks of non-target effects from biological control agents are minimal (Fowler, Syrett & Hill 2000; Funasaki et al. 1988; Moran & Hoffmann 2015; Paynter et al. 2004; Pemberton 2000; Suckling & Sforza 2014). Less than 1% of all the agents released have a negative impact on non-target plant populations, and those that do could have been predicted to do so, and would not be released today (Suckling & Sforza 2014).2017articletext19 pagespdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/10962/59762vital:27646https://doi.org/10.4102/abc.v47i2.2142EnglishBothalia - African Biodiversity & ConservationBothalia: African BiodiversityUse of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Bothalia: African Biodiversity & Conservation Open Access Policy
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language English
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sources NDLTD
description Biological control of invasive alien plant (IAP) species is the use of introduced, highly selective natural enemies (usually herbivorous arthropods or pathogens) to control plants. It has been used in 130 countries as a valuable tool for the control of IAP species, with a total of over 550 biological control agents having been released (Winston et al. 2014). The benefits of biological control to natural ecosystems are significant (Van Driesch et al. 2010), with some specific examples of threatened indigenous species being protected by the action of biological control agents (Barton et al. 2007; Meyer, Fourdrigniez & Taputuarai 2011). Detailed analyses of programmes on biological control of IAPs have also clearly indicated that the risks of non-target effects from biological control agents are minimal (Fowler, Syrett & Hill 2000; Funasaki et al. 1988; Moran & Hoffmann 2015; Paynter et al. 2004; Pemberton 2000; Suckling & Sforza 2014). Less than 1% of all the agents released have a negative impact on non-target plant populations, and those that do could have been predicted to do so, and would not be released today (Suckling & Sforza 2014).
author Zachariades, Costas
Paterson, Iain D
Strathie, Lorraine W
Hill, M P
van Wilgen, Brian W
spellingShingle Zachariades, Costas
Paterson, Iain D
Strathie, Lorraine W
Hill, M P
van Wilgen, Brian W
Assessing the status of biological control as a management tool for suppression of invasive alien plants in South Africa
author_facet Zachariades, Costas
Paterson, Iain D
Strathie, Lorraine W
Hill, M P
van Wilgen, Brian W
author_sort Zachariades, Costas
title Assessing the status of biological control as a management tool for suppression of invasive alien plants in South Africa
title_short Assessing the status of biological control as a management tool for suppression of invasive alien plants in South Africa
title_full Assessing the status of biological control as a management tool for suppression of invasive alien plants in South Africa
title_fullStr Assessing the status of biological control as a management tool for suppression of invasive alien plants in South Africa
title_full_unstemmed Assessing the status of biological control as a management tool for suppression of invasive alien plants in South Africa
title_sort assessing the status of biological control as a management tool for suppression of invasive alien plants in south africa
publishDate 2017
url http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59762
https://doi.org/10.4102/abc.v47i2.2142
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