Toyota assists in identifying alien species in Cape

During the 13 days of the project, scientists will visit several reserves in the Western Cape to collect specimens from a broad range of invasive and native species and to produce DNA bar-code records for all of them. Successful invasive management requires early detection of alien invasive species and a rapid response to eradicate them. However, the most cost-effective strategy is to identify potential invasives before they spread.

As such the specimens collected during the outreach project and their DNA bar-codes will be available on the Bar-code of Life Data Base (BOLD) and enable rapid identification of invasive species in South Africa. In addition, border cross-checks will be provided with molecular tools to identify invasive plants and animals at our borders.
Uncertainty about hotspots

Currently there is an alarming uncertainty regarding the future of the world's richest biodiversity hotspots, given that all climate change scenarios predict an increase in species invasiveness. South Africa is currently facing one of the largest problems with invasive plant species in the world, with the Fynbos Biome being a particularly vulnerable vegetation type in South Africa.

In South Africa more than 550 alien plant species have become established in natural areas and many are known to be contributing to the widespread transformation of once pristine habitats Animal species have also established feral populations in the country and have a negative impact on native species.

Most drastic impact is in rivers

The most drastic impact of invasive animal species have been recorded in South African rivers, where alien fish such as carp and bass have altered habitats and successfully out-competed native fauna. At least 60% of South Africa's endemic freshwater fish are threatened. Thirteen snail species have established invasive populations in South Africa and 40 of the 42 major invertebrate crop pests are not native to South Africa. This raises serious concerns about the future of our agriculture and ecosystem-related services.

For example, in South Africa, invasions have reduced the value of fynbos ecosystems by over R120 billion, the total cost of lost water resources due to invasion is estimated to be about R35 billion on the Agulhas Plain alone and the net present cost of invasion by black wattles amounts to R17 billion with the cost to clear alien plant invasions around R720 million per year.

The outreach project, which aims to safeguard our natural wealth and reduce biodiversity loss, is part of the International Bar-code of Life (IBOL) project, the biggest biodiversity genomics initiative ever undertaken and led is a team of Canadian scientists.