The Social Dimensions of Biological Invasions in South Africa

Thischapterexaminescurrentknowledgerelatingtothehumanandsocial dimensions of biological invasions in South Africa. We do so by advancing 12 propo- sitions and examining the evidence for or against each using South African literature. The propositions cover four broad issues: how people cause invasions; how they conceptualise them; effects of invasive species on people; and peoples’ responses to them. The propositions we assess include: (1) intentional introductions were and continue to reflect the social ethos of the time; (2) people go to great lengths to ensure that newly introduced species establish themselves; (3) human-mediated modifications help invasive species to establish; (4) how people think about and study invasive species is strongly shaped by social-ecological contexts; (5) knowledge and awareness of invasive species is low amongst the general public; (6) personal values are the primary factor affecting perceptions of invasive alien species and their control; (7) specific social-ecological contexts mediate how invasive species affect people; (8) research on social effects of invasive species primarily focuses on negative impacts; (9) the negative social impacts of invasive species on local livelihoods are of more concern to people than impacts on biodiversity; (10) people are less willing to manage species regarded as ‘charismatic’; (11) social heterogeneity increases conflicts around the management of biological invasions; and (12) engagement with society is key to successful manage- ment. By advancing and questioning propositions, we were able to determine what is known, provide evidence for where gaps lie, and thus identify areas for future research