Abstract

RUWANZA, Sheunesu  and  MHLONGO, Edward S.. Lantana camara invasion along road-river interchanges and roadsides in Soutpansberg, Vhembe Biosphere Reserve in South Africa. S. Afr. j. sci. [online]. 2020, vol.116, n.9-10, pp.1-5. ISSN 1996-7489.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2020/8302.

Roads and rivers act as conduits of alien plant invasion; however, little is known regarding the abundance and invasion extent of Lantana camara, an invasive shrub, along road-river interchanges and roadsides in South Africa. We assessed the effects of road-river interchanges and roadsides as invasion corridors that facilitate L. camara invasion. A road survey method was used to measure the invasion extent of L. camara along road-river interchanges and roadsides from national and regional roads covering 446 km in Soutpansberg, Vhembe Biosphere Reserve, South Africa. L. camara occurred along 21 of the 48 surveyed road-river interchanges and its abundance and cover were similar between road-river interchanges and roadsides, although height and diameter of L. camara were greater along road-river interchanges than roadsides. Other alien species that dominated road-river interchanges were Solanum mauritianum, Caesalpinia decapetala and Rubus rigidus. Our results indicate that L. camara dominates both road-river interchanges and roadsides, therefore roads and bridges should be considered important targets for L. camara control.SIGNIFICANCE: • Despite the huge efforts by the South African government to control invasive alien plants, roads and rivers continue to act as important conduits for invasion and therefore there is a need to manage them. • We propose that South African roads be considered important targets for efforts to control invasive alien plants. • A policy and legislative framework around invasive alien plant removal during routine road maintenance operations is required.

Keywords : disturbance; invasive plant; management; road survey.

        · text in English     · English ( pdf )