| 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 |
3. The laws against invasive alien plants
Huge losses are caused by alien invasive plants (IAPs): the amount of water they consume, the amount of productive land they cover, the fires they cause and loss of biodiversity, to name just a few. It makes sense then that these destructive plants have been declared illegal. As the legislation stands today, 198 plants are declared alien invaders (under the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, 2001).
These invaders are divided into three categories.
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- Category 1 - Remove and Destroy
Category 1 Plants are those that may no longer be grown or planted and must be removed and destroyed. Examples include lantana, pom pom weed, bugweed, azolla, queen of the night cactus, pampas grass, cat's claw creeper, red sesbania, yellow oleander, yellow bells and water hyacinth.
- Category 2 - Need a permit to grow in suburban gardens
Category 2 plants (invader plants of commercial value) can only be grown with a permit (obtainable from one of the regional offices of the National Agricultural Dept) in public spaces such as parks, schools and hospitals. Examples include black wattle, patula pine, sisal, red eye, grey poplar, watercress, Port Jackson willow, guava, cluster pine, honey locust and weeping willow (not be confused with the indigenous willows).
- Category 3 - No planting. No selling.
Category 3 plants (invader plants used as ornamentals) can no longer be planted or sold by nurseries, but may remain in your garden if kept under control. Examples include jacaranda (excluding the sterile variety), seringa, Australian silky oak, cotoneaster, Formosa lily, sword fern, tipuana tree and New Zealand Christmas tree
What happens if you are found with one of these plants on your land?
You may be visited by a weed inspector from the National Department of Agriculture or your local council and issued with directive to remove an illegal plant or obtain a permit for it. If you fail to comply after a reasonable time, prosecution follows and on being found guilty, the penalty can be two years in prison or R10 000, or both.
In reality, there are only 19 inspectors to police the whole of South Africa, so it may take a while before you are caught. In the meantime it's up to all of us to take responsibility for the weeds on our properties and get rid of them. Remember, each weed you leave standing will produce hundreds more and this means more damage to the enviroment. It is also our legal duty to eradicate the weeds on our land. In our next slot we will look at who is fighting IAPs in South Africa.
