Abstract:
National alien species databases indicate the state of a country’s biodiversity and provide
useful data for research on invasion biology and the management of invasions. In South Africa
there are several different published alien species databases, but these databases were created
for different purposes and vary in completeness and information content. We assessed the
information content of published South African alien species databases in the context of other
such databases globally, and evaluated how the information content of South African databases
varies across taxonomic groups. Although introduction pathway, date of introduction, region
of origin and current broad-scale distribution data are available for most taxonomic groups
assessed (60% – 90%), data on invasion status, introduction effort and introduction source are
available for few taxonomic groups (5% – 18%). South African alien species databases have
lower information content than the detailed databases available in other parts of the world
and thus cannot be utilised to the same extent. We conclude with 11 recommendations for
improving South African alien species databases. In particular, we highlight the data types
that should be incorporated in future databases and argue that existing data should be collated
in a single, standardised meta-database to facilitate cross-taxon comparisons, highlight gaps
in effort, and inform managers and policy makers concerned with alien species.
