Protected-area boundaries as filters of plant invasions
Date
2011
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Society for Conservation Biology
Abstract
Human land uses surrounding protected areas provide propagules for colonization of these
areas by non-native species, and corridors between protected-area networks and drainage systems of rivers provide pathways for long-distance dispersal of non-native species. Nevertheless, the influence of protected area boundaries on colonization of protected areas by invasive non-native species is unknown. We drew on a spatially explicit data set of more than 27,000 non-native plant presence records for South Africa’s Kruger National Park to examine the role of boundaries in preventing colonization of protected areas by non-native
species. The number of records of non-native invasive plants declined rapidly beyond 1500 m inside the park; thus, we believe that the park boundary limited the spread of non-native plants. The number of non-native
invasive plants inside the park was a function of the amount of water runoff, density of major roads, and the presence of natural vegetation outside the park. Of the types of human-induced disturbance, only the density of major roads outside the protected area significantly increased the number of non-native plant records. Our findings suggest that the probability of incursion of invasive plants into protected areas can be quantified reliably.
Description
Keywords
barriers to invasion, Kruger National Park, non-native invasive species, overland water flow, protected-area boundary
Citation
Foxcroft, L.C.; Jarosik, V.; Pysek, P.; Richardson, D.M. and Rouget, M. (2011) Protected-area boundaries as filters of plant invasions. Conservation Biology, 25(2), 400-405