Southern African Plant Invaders Atlas (SAPIA) with particular reference to invasive Australian species

摘要

The Southern African Plant Invaders Atlas (SAPIA) is a mapping project, launched in 1994, to collate information on the distribution, abundance and habitat types of alien invasive plants in southern Africa. The SAPIA database is a computerised catalogue of some 48 000 locality records of 500 naturalised alien plant species. The database incorporates records from roadside surveys by the author (1979-1993) and the SAPIA project (1994+). Thirty-one Australian species are included within the top 200 environmental weeds invading natural or near-natural habitats. All have been declared as weeds or invaders and their control is subject to legislation. Half the species are invasive in the unique and threatened fynbos of the Western Cape. The most importantgenera are Acacia, with thirteen species and Eucalyptus with seven species. The most widespread and abundant species owe much of their success to large historical plantings for driftsand stabilisation, tannin, timber, hedging and screens. Some species continue to be cultivated on a large scale. Other species planted on a much smaller scale for ornament, shade or shelter, are less abundant but equally invasive.