| Article Index |
|---|
| All you need to know about Invasive Alien Plants |
| 2. The trouble they cause |
| 3. The laws against invasive alien plants |
| 4. Who is fighting the weeds? |
| 5. What can the public do? |
| All Pages |
4. Who is fighting the weeds?
Who is fighting the problem and what you can do?
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In South Africa, the fight against aliens has been spearheaded by the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs's - Working for Water (WfW) Programme set up in 1995. Its main aim is to clear IAPs from priority catchments to release more water for productive uses.
This programme works in partnership with local communities, to whom it provides jobs, and also with national government departments including the Department of Agriculture, KZN Invasive Alien Species Programme, provincial departments of agriculture, conservation and environment, research foundations and private companies. WFW also have partnerships with the green industries, pet trade and forestry sector.
Planting good plants vs bad plants
In August 2009, the WFW Nurseries Partnership Programme launched Plant Me Instead campaign in 150 garden centres across South Africa. The aim is to educate gardeners to remove ‘bad' plants and replace them with ‘good' plants.
Weedbuster Week National Event - Bloemhof Dam
WeedBuster Week has been held for the past nine years in South Africa to highlight the challenge of IAPs. This year's National WeedBuster Week event will be held at the Bloemhof Dam, where WFW is actively involved in attempting to prevent invasive aquatic weeds such as water hyacinth (which is already taking over the Vaal River) from reaching the Orange River.
Did you know?
Because invasive species are such a problem all over the world, a Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP) was first set up in Los Angeles in 1998 to control the movement of alien species and 50 countries (including South Africa).
