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Mass Rearing

Synopsis

The Centre for Biological Control cultivates invasive alien plants in controlled greenhouse environments. These plants are then used to culture the biological control agent specifically approved for control of that particular plant and eventually released at recognized and monitored invasive plant populations across South Africa. These biological control agents are available for free to researchers, implementation officers, reserve and water quality managers, farmers and concerned members of the public who want to get involved in preserving biodiversity and controlling invasive species in their local natural environments. All biological control agents mass-reared by the Centre for Biological Control are approved for safe release in South Africa by the regulatory bodies; the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Department of Environmental Affairs and conform to current legislation. The identification and control of invasive species is a continuous and evolving problem. Every year more species are identified as problematic and more effort is invested into finding new biological control agents. Thus the Centre for Biological Control also houses a Quarantine Facility, to facilitate research into host-specificity and fecundity of potential biological control agents.

credits

Lindelwe Ndamase , Yolanda Mdzeke

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