CBC annual report on species management
The South Africa Centre for Biological Control 2023 Annual Report is out!
Invasive alien plants represent one of the greatest challenges to natural resource management, and classical biological control programmes may lead to a stable control of these harmful species over time.
One of the main mandates of the CBC is engaging with all the communities in South Africa about the topics of invasive alien species and biological control. CBC team also interacts with school students to teach them on entomology and applied entomology, through sharing their research in agricultural entomology and biological control.
The annual report is an implementation of biological control against aquatic weeds in South Africa, contributing to the fight against species that degrade aquatic ecosystems, with knock on socio-economic impacts.
Examples of management and studies that are explained in the report, include the continued augmentative biological control approach against water hyacinth, Pontederia crassipes. This strategy involves frequently inundating water hyacinth with Megamelus scutellaris, the water hyacinth planthopper, reared at the CBC Waainek Research Facility, and at a number of new satellite rearing stations maintained by community’s members.
Lagarosiphon major, a submerged macrophyte native to southern Africa, is invasive in coutries like New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, and Australia. This weed can produce dense floating mats that readily colonizes habitats in clear water waters.
The success of this weed outside of its native range may be explained by the Enemy Release Hypothesis (ERH), which states that escape from specialist herbivores allows plants to grow and reproduce more successfully. The first part of this research investigated the possible general applicability of this hypothesis in freshwater ecosystems.
These two aquatic plants are considered of Union concern in Europe, according to the EU Regulation 1143/2014.
Since 2021, the CBC has continued to expand its research agenda, considering the role of ecosystem restoration after aquatic weed control to ensure ecosystem recovery.
If you want to know more about CBC activities you can read the report at bit.ly/3J4kjbI