Three centuries of managing introduced conifers in South Africa: Benefits, impacts, changing perceptions and conflict resolution

Journal of Environmental Management
B W van Wilgen, David M Richardson

Abstract

Alien conifers, mainly pines, have been planted in South Africa for a range of purposes for over 300 years. Formal plantations cover 660,000 ha of the country, and invasive stands of varying density occur on a further 2.9 million ha. These trees have brought many benefits but have also caused unintended problems. The management of alien conifers has evolved in response to emerging problems such as excessive water use by plantations of conifers, changing values and markets, and the realities of a new ecological order brought about by invasive alien conifers. This paper reviews the history of conifer introductions to South Africa, the benefits and impacts with which they are associated, and the ongoing and evolving research that has been conducted to inform their management. The South African approach has included taking courageous steps to address the problem of highly invasive species that are also an important commercial crop. These interventions have not, however, had the desired effect of both retaining benefits from formal plantations while simultaneously reversing the trend of growing impacts associated with self-sown invasive stands. We suggest that different approaches need to be considered, including the systematic phas...Continue Reading

References

Dec 24, 2005·Science·Robert B JacksonBrian C Murray
Sep 4, 2007·Journal of Environmental Management·B W van WilgenL Schonegevel
Mar 14, 2009·European Spine Journal : Official Publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society·B LenehanA R Poynton
Sep 1, 1998·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·B W van WilgenR M Cowling
Mar 10, 2016·Frontiers in Plant Science·Athanassios MolassiotisGeorgia Tanou

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Citations

Mar 5, 2016·Environmental Management·Ana NovoaDavid M Richardson
Sep 28, 2016·Oecologia·E Schreuder, S Clusella-Trullas
Apr 12, 2019·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Pilar Castro-DíezOscar Godoy
Feb 1, 2020·Ecology·Jaime MoyanoMartin A Nuñez

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