Invasive Alien Plants in the Montane Areas of South Africa: Impacts and Management Options

Abstract

Invasive alien plants (IAPs) in South African mountains are both threatening and supporting ecosystem services and human well-being for local communities, as well as those in nearby lowland areas. Higher elevation mountain areas have distinct IAP compositions compared to lower elevation mountains due to their unique climatic conditions. Management of IAPs in these montane settings presents many challenges and needs to work on multi-value-based approaches that ensure the inclusion of communities in the decision making. We advocate for more mountain-specific research that can guide and upscale National Resource Management to implement programmes that are relevant to the socio-ecological circumstances in these high elevation areas.