Invasive alien species (IAS) pose enormous and growing problems to economies that amount to millions of US$ per annum, are a leading cause of decimation of local species, and deny societies the quantity and quality service they derive from natural resources thereby impinging on their livelihoods. Presence of these species in ecosystems leads to major disruption of all biotic systems including terrestrial, aquatic, managed and wild. They negatively impact on the invaded environments by causing social instability, economic hardship, and consequently impinge on biological conservation, sustainable development and economic growth. In general terms, IAS threaten a wide range of goods and services provided by natural ecosystems by disrupting major biological pathways, water depletion and clogging of water-based enterprises, causing diseases, impeding navigation, destruction of homes and agricultural lands, causing crop, forestry and livestock losses, destruction of rangelands, and species elimination. The problem of IAS thus affects sustainability of livelihoods, water availability and management, biodiversity conservation and economic growth, sustainable development. These problems are further worsening with globalization of trade, travel and transport which are also turning out to be major pathways for increasing the number of IAS being moved around the world as well as the rate at which they are being moved, and thus an increased number of invasions. Concurrently, changes in climate and land use are also rendering some habitats, including protected natural areas, more susceptible to biological invasions

In recognition of the enormity of the negative impacts of IAS to human welfare, economic development and biodiversity conservation, and also due to their crosscutting nature, in its Article 8 (h) the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) requires Parties “as far as possible and as appropriate [to] prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species that threaten ecosystems, habitats or species”. This requirement has continuously been reaffirmed in subsequent Conferences of Parties (COP), most notably the sixth COP meeting at the Hague, Netherlands in 2002, which explicitly calls for action to prevent and mitigate impacts of IAS as it appears in Decision VI/23.

The SADC BSP is facilitating Member States, who are also parties to the CBD, to collaborate and coordinate in:

• Preventing new invasion;
• Stop the further spread of those IAS already present in the region;
• Eradicate IAS in situations where they are amenable; and
• Develop and implement effective programmes for the control or management of IAS.

This website provides the necessary tools in the form of project products that are expected guide Member States enhance their capacities, collaboration and cooperation so that IAS control programmes adopt harmonic approaches that are biome or catchment-wide. It further provides links to relevant initiatives and resources on the subject within the sub-region and globally.

To download various products as full documents click the link below:
Regional Training Needs and Designated Lead Institutions on Invasive Alien Species in Southern Africa

Regional Database on Invasive Alien Species