Department of Botany and Zoology, Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Private Bag X1, Matieland, 7602, South Africa.
Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Sciences (HFWU), Schelmenwasen 4-8, 72622, Nürtingen, Germany.
Environ Manage. 2018 Dec;62(6):1150-1167. doi: 10.1007/s00267-018-1103-9. Epub 2018 Sep 21.
Resources for biodiversity conservation and invasive plant management are limited, and restoring invaded vegetation is labour-intensive and expensive. Managers must prioritize their actions to achieve their goals efficiently and effectively. They must distinguish between areas that require only the removal of invasive alien plants ("passive restoration") from those that require additional restoration measures ("active restoration"). This study used a multi-criterion approach (Analytical Hierarchical Process) to develop a framework for identifying areas that require active restoration, and then to prioritize these areas for active restoration. The South African city of Cape Town is used as a test case to illustrate the utility of the framework. Framework criteria selected in determining the need for active restoration included: dominant alien species invading the area, density of invasion, duration of invasion, indigenous vegetation cover, adjacent land use, level of disturbance, size of the area, aspect, soil texture, soil depth and erodibility, slope and vegetation type. In deciding which areas to prioritize for active restoration, factors such as vegetation conservation status, selection in a regional conservation plan and connectivity function were assessed. Importance in ecosystem functioning (by providing a diversity of habitats and soil conservation) and the delivery of ecosystem service benefits were also considered. The resulting framework provides an objective tool for prioritizing sites for active restoration.
用于生物多样性保护和入侵植物管理的资源有限，恢复入侵植被是劳动密集型且昂贵的。管理者必须优先考虑他们的行动，以有效地实现他们的目标。他们必须区分仅需要去除入侵外来植物的区域（“被动恢复”）和需要采取其他恢复措施的区域（“主动恢复”）。本研究使用多标准方法（层次分析法）来制定一个框架，以确定需要主动恢复的区域，然后对这些区域进行主动恢复的优先级排序。南非开普敦市被用作案例研究，以说明该框架的实用性。在确定需要主动恢复的标准中包括：入侵地区的优势外来物种、入侵密度、入侵持续时间、本土植被覆盖、相邻土地利用、干扰程度、区域大小、方位、土壤质地、土壤深度和侵蚀性、坡度和植被类型。在决定优先考虑哪些区域进行主动恢复时，评估了植被保护状况、区域保护计划中的选择以及连通性功能等因素。生态系统功能的重要性（通过提供多种生境和土壤保护）和生态系统服务效益的提供也得到了考虑。由此产生的框架提供了一个用于对主动恢复地点进行优先级排序的客观工具。
