Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian

Invasive Species

latest news & developments
CONSERVATION

Marion Island’s brown skuas defy scientists after landmark cat eradication

More than 30 years after South Africa eradicated feral cats from Marion Island in a landmark conservation success, scientists have discovered that one of the island's top…

  • Sheree Bega
2 min read
Freshwater fish, sharks, rays, endemic plants and iconic mammals are among the country’s fastest-declining species, as invasive species, reduced freshwater flows and pollution intensify. (Wikimedia Commons)
CLIMATE CHANGE SOUTH AFRICA

Illegal wildlife trade, habitat loss and climate stress driving rapid biodiversity decline in SA

Freshwater fish, sharks, rays, endemic plants and iconic mammals are among the country’s fastest-declining species, as invasive species, reduced freshwater flows and pollution…

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
The invasive Opuntia stricta flourishing under the canopy of a native tree in the Kruger National Park. (Photo: SANParks)
ALIEN PLANT SPECIES

Study shows growing number of alien plants infesting Kruger Park

Twenty-one species in the national park are invasive, five of which are among the 100 worst invaders globally

  • Sheree Bega
4 min read
Without biocontrol, Hartbeespoort Dam could be 70% covered in superweed
AQUATIC BIODIVERSITY

Tiny bugs winning the fight against invasive water hyacinth in Hartbeespoort Dam

Without biocontrol, Hartbeespoort Dam could be 70% covered in superweed

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
CapeNature warns against ferret ownership after concerns about a growing environmental threat. (Belinda Speed)
ANIMAL HEALTH

Ferrets: Adorable companions or ecological threats in South Africa?

CapeNature warns against ferret ownership after concerns about a growing environmental threat This content is restricted to registered users and subscribers. Get Your Free…

  • Sheree Bega
1 min read
Yellow Oleander, Thevetia peruviana. Single open flower and buds growing in Phrao, Chiang Mai, Thailand. (Photo by FlowerPhotos/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
ALIEN PLANT MANAGEMENT

Invasive alien plant species in eThekwini parks need to be removed

KwaZulu-Natal’s urban spaces are filled with invasive alien species that need to be removed, according to a study by a master’s student employed by the Natural Science Collection…

  • Ozayr Patel
3 min read
Committed: Volunteers scrape the invasive weeds and litter, which have been dragged in by members of the rowing and canoeing clubs, onto Wemmer Pan’s banks. Photos: Madison Bannon
AGRICULTURE ENVIRONMENT

Restoring Wemmer Pan’s glory

A diverse community of rowing enthusiasts and local residents who volunteer their time is working tirelessly to clean up the historic pan

  • Sheree Bega
  • Madison Bannon
8 min read
CLIMATE ACTIVISM

Encounters with Palestine and the environment

These subjects take centre stage at a festival showcasing nearly 50 documentaries

  • Charles Leonard
9 min read
An oak tree infested (left) with the invasive shot hole borer will eventually die.
BEETLE

Invasive beetle fells mighty oaks

The trees were first introduced to South Africa in 1656 and have become cultural icons

  • Sheree Bega
6 min read
In early February, AfriForum, together with several other organisations, businesses and community members, removed more than 1 623 tonnes of water lettuce from the Vaal River. Photo: AfriForum
BILL HARDING

Spraying toxic herbicide on Vaal River to rid it of water lettuce ‘is criminal’

Water specialists have said the use of glyphosate is in contravention of the National Water Act and is a risk for humans and toxic for aquatic life

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read
In early February, AfriForum, together with several other organisations, businesses and community members, removed more than 1 623 tonnes of water lettuce from the Vaal River. Photo: AfriForum
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL

Vaal River residents say water lettuce is ‘national crisis’

If allowed to pass the Vaal River Barrage, the plant has access to a journey of about 1 000km of the middle and lower Vaal river, the Bloemhof Dam and then into the Orange river

  • Sheree Bega
11 min read
Australian crayfish, carp from Europe and Asia, silver carp from China, Nile tilapia, the North American largemouth bass and mosquitofish, suckermouth catfish from South America and alien snails have invaded the park
FISH

Invasive fish, snails found in Kruger National Park

Australian crayfish, carp from Europe and Asia, silver carp from China, Nile tilapia, the North American largemouth bass and mosquitofish, suckermouth catfish from South America…

  • Sheree Bega
5 min read
Tree breeding and sustainable intensification (planting more productive trees on less land) are actively being practised in South Africa. (Mondi South Africa)
GARYN TOWNSEND

The little invasive beetle causing big problems for SA’s trees

The search for biological control agents is underway

  • Gemma Gatticchi
2 min read
Invasive: The red-eared slider turtle, made popular by the ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ and ‘Rocky’ films, have escaped or been released, creating a problem for wildlife
CORMAC PRICE

Red-eared slider turtles slip into SA, another invasive species

The turtles, native to the US, are listed as one of the world’s ‘Top 100’ worst invasive species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature

  • Sheree Bega
9 min read
House crows were introduced to South Africa in the 1970s. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)
CRAYFISH

Invasive animals on the 2023 watchlist

Covid lockdowns only applied to humans, while these five invasive species took advantage of the lack of activity to spread their wings

  • John Measey
5 min read