Alien Species.vp - IUCN

fodder in the dry summer months. It did this but some farmers consider that it reduces
their overall production and now work diligently to remove it from their properties (M.
Waller, pers. comm). When kikuyu invades regenerating shrublands it severely inhibits
natural regeneration by overtopping young native shrubs and trees. Pampas grass
(Cortaderia spp.) was brought in from South America for cattle fodder. It has now
become a significant invader of natural ecosystems, particularly where small native plants
would normally grow such as on cliffs and estuarine edges (Owen, 1997). The visible
impacts of these and other plant invaders have alerted many people to the threats from
invasive plants and have resulted in concerted action in many areas to manage plant pests.
Conclusions and recommendations
Human perceptions of invasive alien species in New Zealand, and the methods used to manage
these species, have changed over time. As the human population of New Zealand becomes
more urbanized and more informed, we can expect further changes in perceptions of the
impacts of invasive alien species and the methods used to manage these species.
Knowledge about invasive alien species comes from the direct experience of the impacts of
these species and from publicity related to those impacts. With increasing urbanization, the
direct experience of impacts will decline and the importance of learning from a broadening
array of information sources will increase. The strong biosecurity laws in New Zealand,
economic dependence on primary production, and need to protect human health currently result
in high levels of publicity and general acceptance of management of alien species affecting the
agricultural and health sectors. The protection of natural ecosystems from invasive alien
species gains less attention from the media and requires more deliberate and planned
information dissemination. This planned publicity becomes more important when the invasive
alien species to be managed is large, popular and/or attractive, and when as the native
ecosystems or species to be protected are obscure, small or largely unappreciated.
Public opinion must never be under-rated. It is vitally important that sound information is
widely available and all key interest groups are consulted and (where possible) involved in
management decisions. Without public and political support, the effective management of the
threats from invasive species is likely to be impossible.
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Human dimensions of invasive alien species