http://www.geocities.com/nowhitelist


So, what gives?

http://www.geocities.com/nowhitelist
So, what gives? BRBR

I don't think this white list policy is feasible. and they need to look at
inadvertent introduction, like ballast water, first.
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"A tree never hits an automobile except in self defense." - Woody Allen

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_i...200501161 309
40597C402931

Alien plants are sapping our soil dry

January 16 2005 at 01:21PM

By Chris Makhaye

It is midday and it's hot. Nomusa Mchunu is hard at work, holding a bugweed
shrub in one hand and hacking at it with a panga with the other. This
39-year-old Richmond widow is now used to working, often under a scorching sun,
in the forests and bush around Richmond and Pietermaritzburg.

Mchunu is employed by one of various projects throughout KwaZulu-Natal that are
clearing millions of invading alien plants, which are leaching away water
resources and causing havoc to agricultural land and indigenous vegetation.

She has been doing this job on and off since 2000 as part of the Working for
Water Programme, which uses local communities to eradicate harmful and unwanted
plants. During this period, Mchunu has learnt to do away with many alien
species by using her panga, herbicides and other chemicals.

According to conservancy groups and the department of water affairs and
forestry, at least 10 alien plants are responsible for drying up rivers and
streams, robbing indigenous plants of water and causing them to die.

They range from trees such as black wattle, red river gum and the silky hakea,
to weeds and shrubs such as pom pom, bugweed, triffid and lantana.

Some of them - such as the black wattle, the red river gum and the cluster pine
- have been declared the worst invaders and people wanting to plant them may
only do so with a special government permit.

Conservancy stakeholders say these alien plants are one of the biggest social
and environmental challenges facing South Africa.

"It is impossible to overstate the negative impact that foreign vegetation is
having on our country," said Jean Lindsay, a committee member of the National
Association of Conservancies of South Africa.

"Exotic plants and weeds are destroying our grazing and farming lands, forests,
nature and game reserves. The government spends half a billion rand a year on
fighting this scourge, but is far from winning the battle," said Lindsay.

Themba Mgwaba, provincial head of Working For Water - the alien plant-clearing
arm of the department of water affairs and forestry - said its programme was
targeting the alien species that were causing the most damage to the province's
water resources.

"Some of these plants came to South Africa as either commercial plants (such as
black wattle, red river gum or silky hakea) and some came as ornamental
flowers. They may look beautiful, but they are dangerous because they consume
more water than useful plants and vegetation," said Mkhwanazi.

He said the programme started in 1995 in St Lucia, a world heritage site - in
conjunction with wildlife and conservancy groups - to clear alien trees and
other plants that were damaging the wildlife there.

Mgwaba said this programme had since developed in many other urban and rural
areas. "We have so far managed to clear about 105 000 hectares of an estimated
900 000 hectares that were invaded by these plants in KwaZulu-Natal, thereby
saving millions of litres of water."

He said they had initially hired thousands of unemployed people near the areas
where these alien plants were located, but had problems managing these people.
"(Instead) we decided to make use of local people by making them into small
contractors. We train them on how to manage the eradication of these plants and
how to manage their finances," said Mgwaba.

One beneficiary of this programme is contractor Philelani Nzimande, of Ndaleni,
Richmond. He employs 14 people, including nine local women such as Nomusa
Mchunu.

"Before this I was an unemployed man battling to feed my wife and three kids,"
said Nzimande. "Now I have managed to run many bush-clearing projects. My staff
and I have learnt how to manage rivers and streams," he said.




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Invader weeds: Don't be fooled by the flowers

Black Wattle (Acacia mearnsii)
- Australia. This evergreen tree with pale yellow flowers is said to be the
biggest threat to water resources in KwaZulu-Natal and other provinces,
gobbling millions of litres every year. It was introduced to South Africa for
its valuable timber. But now it is regarded as the worst invader for its impact
on water security, intensity of fires and soil erosion. According to the new
laws, government permission is necessary to plant these trees.

Red river gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) - Australia. This large, evergreen
tree was introduced to South Africa for forestry plantation purposes. It has
attractive timber and is fast-growing. It is popular among bee-keepers but has
a severe impact on water supplies, biodiversity and soil erosion. It also
intensifies fires.

Silky hakea (Hakea sericea) - Australia. This tree was brought to South Africa
as a hedge. It is an evergreen plant with prickly leaves and invades
mountainous areas. It impacts on water security, bio-diversity, fire intensity
and soil erosion.

Water hyacinth (Eichornia odorata) - South America. This is possibly the
world's worst water weed. It creates a breeding site for malaria-carrying
mosquitoes and bilharzia-carrying snails. It has a significant impact on
fisheries, bio-diversity.

Pom pom weed (Campuloclinium macrocephalum) - Brazil. This weed was introduced
here as an ornamental plant and has pink flowers. It is poisonous to livestock,
could have a devastating impact on agriculture and conservation, and is
difficult to control.

Triffid weed (Chromlaena odorata) - South America. This fast-growing shrub with
white flowers is said to be the worst invader of the Eastern Lowveld. These
fuel veld fires and impact on bio-diversity and the productive use of land.

Bug weed (Solunum mauritianum) - Australia. This evergreen tree with dull green
leaves and purple flowers was brought here as an ornamental plant. It is found
along the wetter eastern and southern areas. Its fruit is poisonous to many
animals and seeds are spread by birds.

Lantana (Lantana camara) - Americas. This small shrub with multi-coloured
flowers is said to be one of the worst invaders and out-competes surrounding
vegetation, causing indigenous plants to die. It also has a negative impact on
agricultural land and is a major cause of soil erosion.

Cluster pine (Pinus pinaster) - Europe. This large, evergreen conifer was
introduced for forestry plantations. Along with some Pinus species, it has
spread out of control into mountains, especially in the southern areas of the
country. It impacts on water, biodiversity, fire intensity and soil erosion.

Honey Mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa) - Americas. This acacia-like shrub or
small tree is a threat in dry areas of the country and to ground water and
biodiversity. It out-competes indigenous camel thorn and other critical desert
species. It is good for firewood but is of marginal value as fodder.

Information supplied by the department of water affairs and forestry's Working
for Water Programme