An assessment of the information content of South African alien species databases
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 purp...
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South African National Biodiversity Institut
2015-05-01
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doaj-e46220691b534e4288ef48cf585a7c7b2020-11-25T01:22:00ZengSouth African National Biodiversity InstitutBothalia: African Biodiversity & Conservation0006-82412311-92842015-05-01451e1e1110.4102/abc.v45i1.11031818An assessment of the information content of South African alien species databasesKatelyn T. Faulkner0Dian Spear1Mark P. Robertson2Mathieu Rouget3John R.U. Wilson4Invasive Species Programme, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South Africa; Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, South AfricaInvasive Species Programme, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South Africa; Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, South AfricaCentre for Invasion Biology, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of PretoriaCentre for Invasion Biology, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-NatalInvasive Species Programme, South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch Research Centre, South Africa; Centre for Invasion Biology, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, South AfricaNational 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.https://abcjournal.org/index.php/abc/article/view/1103biological invasionsintroduced speciescataloguedata availabilitydata gapsspecies list |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Katelyn T. Faulkner Dian Spear Mark P. Robertson Mathieu Rouget John R.U. Wilson |
spellingShingle |
Katelyn T. Faulkner Dian Spear Mark P. Robertson Mathieu Rouget John R.U. Wilson An assessment of the information content of South African alien species databases Bothalia: African Biodiversity & Conservation biological invasions introduced species catalogue data availability data gaps species list |
author_facet |
Katelyn T. Faulkner Dian Spear Mark P. Robertson Mathieu Rouget John R.U. Wilson |
author_sort |
Katelyn T. Faulkner |
title |
An assessment of the information content of South African alien species databases |
title_short |
An assessment of the information content of South African alien species databases |
title_full |
An assessment of the information content of South African alien species databases |
title_fullStr |
An assessment of the information content of South African alien species databases |
title_full_unstemmed |
An assessment of the information content of South African alien species databases |
title_sort |
assessment of the information content of south african alien species databases |
publisher |
South African National Biodiversity Institut |
series |
Bothalia: African Biodiversity & Conservation |
issn |
0006-8241 2311-9284 |
publishDate |
2015-05-01 |
description |
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. |
topic |
biological invasions introduced species catalogue data availability data gaps species list |
url |
https://abcjournal.org/index.php/abc/article/view/1103 |
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