The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Ms Barbara Creecy, will on 28 May 2021, officially release South Africa’s second national report on biological invasions.

The report is the only country-level assessment worldwide that focuses specifically on biological invasions.  It places South Africa in a global leading position on the issue.

The Status of Biological Invasions and their Management in South Africa in 2019 provides a comprehensive national-scale assessment of the status of biological invasions in the country and captures the effectiveness of the country’s response to this issue. It collates information from foundational research and on-going monitoring programmes and interprets it in order to help policy-makers and managers improve how biological invasions are managed.

Biological invasions pose a major threat to South Africa’s unique biodiversity, and to the livelihoods and health of the country’s people.

Since the adoption of the Working For…  programmes in 2005, the government has been relentless in its efforts to effectively manage alien and invasive species in the country. To address the problem, over a billion Rand has been spent a year on projects to control biological invasions and create jobs by the Department’s Environmental Programmes.  

Media are invited to attend the release of the report. 

Date:     28 May 2021

Venue:  Old Mutual Conference Centre, Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, Cape Town 

Time:    14:00

To link to VIRTUAL launch, click on: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81143821522

To RSVP contact: 

Eleanor Momberg of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment at emomberg@environment.gov.za  or 083 400 5741 / Peter Mbelengwa at pmbelengwa@environment.gov.za or 082 611 8197 

For media inquiries contact Albi Modise on 083 490 2871 or Peter Mbelengwa on 082 611 8197

ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY, FISHERIES AND THE ENVIRONMENT