CONTEXT

South Africa obtained approval from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council to implement a full- size project entitled “Capacity strengthening for management of invasive alien species in South Africa to enhance sustainable biodiversity conservation and livelihoods improvement” on 09 June 2022, under the seventh replenishment of the GEF (GEF7). 

The objective of the project is to improve efficiency and effective management of high-risk alien and invasive species (IAS) to directly mitigate their negative impacts on South Africa’s biodiversity assets while indirectly contributing to the improvement of rural food security and livelihoods. The project is a collaboration between the DFFE and several partners namely, the Agricultural Research Council (ARC), Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI), Border Management Authority (BMA) and Birdlife South Africa (BSA).

"Management and control of invasive alien species."

2030 GLOBAL TARGET ON INVASIVE ALIEN SPECIES

South Africa as a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity, participated in the development of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) that emerged with a new 2030 global target on Invasive alien species. The latter target is target 6 and one of the 23 targets that make up Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and is captured as follows “ Target 6: Eliminate, minimize, reduce and or mitigate the impacts of invasive alien species on biodiversity and ecosystem services by identifying and managing pathways of the introduction of alien species, preventing the introduction and establishment of priority invasive alien species, reducing the rates of introduction and establishment of other known or potential invasive alien species by at least 50 per cent, by 2030, eradicating or controlling invasive alien species especially in priority sites, such as islands”.

Therefore, successful implementation of this project will confer the advantage to SA of achieving its commitment to the implementation of the GBF. In addition, the current project will contribute towards strengthening national capacity to implement South Africa’s (draft) National Invasive Species Strategy and Action Plan (NISSAP), while responding to our national obligations under article 8(h) of the Convention on Biological Diversity, where each party is required to prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species.

Strengthened IAS detection and surveillance capacities at key national ports of entry

Enhanced biosecurity communications and information flows

Improved effectiveness of control measures for high-risk IAS.