Appendix 3 to "The Status of Biological Invasions and their Management in South Africa in 2022"—Metadata for the species list

Metadata for the list of alien species in South Africa This is the metadata for the species list as part of the report series "The status of biological invasions and their management in South Africa ". For the last published report see http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3947613 for general details see http://iasreport.sanbi.org.za The species list itself will be in the general file name of “NSRBISA_Species_list_YYYYMMDD.xlsx”. The file is stored as an Excel spreadsheet. This is in part as that format includes italics (in particular for scientificName), and also so it is more easily accessible for users of the report. For enquiries contact: [email protected] OR invasi[email protected]g.za For a full description of the indicators used in the report and for some of the coding of the confidence levels used below see: Wilson et al. (2018) Indicators for monitoring biological invasions at a national level. Journal of Applied Ecology, 55, 2612–2620. doi: 10.1111/1365-2664.13251; noting that the details in this document take precedence over those in the paper. Documents that explain the Darwin core fields used are available at: http://rs.gbif.org/ & https://dwc.tdwg.org/terms/ If there are multiple values in any field, these are separated by a pipe-delimiter ‘|’ with no spaces (e.g., releaseInNature|escapeFromConfinement). If values are nested then a colon is used to separate the main category from sub-categories (e.g., for pathways, releaseInNature:biologicalControl). When there are multiple values in any field, the confidence must either be in the same order as the values or specify the values (e.g., high(releaseInNature:biologicalControl)|medium(escapeFromConfinement:research)). If there are multiple values in a field and want to select only some of them can use "=FIND("KZN";[@RangeBroad])" and then sort or filter the dataset by this new column. The value NA [which means not available (as per R)] is used either: • where there is no information in a cell; • there is some uncertainty as to whether effort has been made to find the value; • information has been looked for and not found; or • there is no applicable value for that cell. The interpretation of NA should be given in the specific field in this document. In some cases NE is used to mean Not Evaluated (e.g., in IUCN assessments like the Red List and EICAT). This can be because either the status report team has not evaluated it or that nobody has. These metadata are only for continental South Africa, there are similar but discrete metadata and lists for the Prince Edward Islands (two sub-Antarctic islands that are part of South Africa), see https://zenodo.org/record/8047695 and go to the latest version. Details of how the species list is produced are presented in a workflow that accompanies the report (go to http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.8047682 and access the latest version). The process of updating the species list involves the creation of interim files. In some cases on the interim files, the fields ‘isNative’ or ‘ocurrenceStatus’ are scored as ‘check’. Until these issues are resolved the taxon will not be incorporated into the species list. The interim files are available on request. REFERENCING AND BIBLIOGRAPHY The species list includes a bibliography as a separate tab on the .xlsx file using the reference style of PenSoft https://neobiota.pensoft.net/about#CitationsandReferences. In the species list itself sources are cited: one author Winzer (2023); two authors: Zengeya and Faulkner (2001), Three or more authors: Miza et al. (1998). When more than one source is cited they are separated by pipe-delimiters. For a web-site or database: ‘BODATSA (12 April 2023)’; or ‘GBIF.org (12 April 2023)’. A specific data download can be written in full in the source column ‘GBIF.org (24 January 2022) https://doi.org/10.15468/dl.5fswvr’, though this is not essential. In all cases there should be a generic reference to the source in the bibliography. By contrast a generic web-site column would be written as: ‘The Barcode of Life Data System (12 April 2023)’, with the details and link in the bibliography: ‘The Barcode of Life Data System v4 (2023). https://www.boldsystems.org/’. Potentially a note can be made as to how the database was searched “A search was done using the search term: 'South Africa''Genus species' on the web-site https://www.boldsystems.org/index.php/Public_BINSearch?searchtype=records” The bibliography for the species list is available on one of the worksheets of the species list. REFERENCE FOR THIS DOCUMENT SANBI and CIB YYYY. Metadata for the list of alien species in South Africa. Part of the report series ‘The Status of Biological Invasions and their Management in South Africa’. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch and DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch. The doi will depend on the version, for the first version of the metadata see: http://dx.doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7433113 and scroll to the latest version. REFERENCE FOR THE SPECIES LIST SANBI and CIB YYYY. List of alien species in South Africa. Part of the report series ‘The Status of Biological Invasions and their Management in South Africa’. South African National Biodiversity Institute, Kirstenbosch and DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch. The doi will depend on the version, for the first version see: https://zenodo.org/record/3582016 and scroll to the latest version. REFERENCES USED IN THIS DOCUMENT Bacher S, Blackburn TM, Essl F, Genovesi P, Heikkilä J, Jeschke JM, Jones G, Keller R, Kenis M, Kueffer C, Martinou AF, Nentwig W, Pergl J, Pyšek P, Rabitsch W, Richardson DM, Roy HE, Saul W-C, Scalera R, Vilà M, Wilson JRU, Kumschick S (2018) Socio-economic impact classification of alien taxa (SEICAT). Methods in Ecology and Evolution 9: 159–168. doi:10.1111/2041210X.12844 Blackburn TM, Essl F, Evans T, Hulme PE, Jeschke JM, Kühn I, Kumschick S, Marková Z, Mrugała A, Nentwig W, Pergl J, Pyšek P, Rabitsch W, Ricciardi A, Richardson DM, Sendek A, Vilá M, Wilson JRU, Winter M, Genovesi P, Bacher S (2014) A unified classification of alien species based on the magnitude of their environmental impacts. PLoS Biology 12: e1001850, doi:1001810.1001371/journal.pbio.1001850. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001850 Groom Q, Desmet P, Reyserhove L, Adriaens T, Oldoni D, Vanderhoeven S, Baskauf SJ, Chapman A, McGeoch M, Walls R, Wieczorek J, Wilson JRU, Zermoglio PFF, Simpson A (2019) Improving Darwin Core for research and management of alien species. Biodiversity Information Science and Standards 3: e38084. doi:10.3897/biss.3.38084 Hawkins CL, Bacher S, Essl F, Hulme PE, Jeschke JM, Kühn I, Kumschick S, Nentwig W, Pergl J, Pyšek P, Rabitsch W, Richardson DM, Vilà M, Wilson JRU, Genovesi P, Blackburn TM (2015) Framework and guidelines for implementing the proposed IUCN Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT). Diversity and Distributions 21: 1360-1363. doi:10.1111/ddi.12379 IUCN (2020) IUCN EICAT Categories and Criteria. The Environmental Impact Classification for Alien Taxa (EICAT) First edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, 49 pp. doi:10.2305/IUCN.CH.2020.05.en Nelufule T, Robertson MP, Wilson JRU, Faulkner KT (2022) Native-alien populations—an apparent oxymoron that requires specific conservation attention. Neobiota 74: 57–74. doi:10.3897/neobiota.74.81671 Zengeya T, Ivey P, Woodford DJ, Weyl O, Novoa A, Shackleton R, Richardson D, van Wilgen B (2017) Managing conflict-generating invasive species in South Africa: Challenges and trade-offs. Bothalia: African Biodiversity and Conservation 47: a2160. doi:10.4102/abc.v47i2.2160 scientificName Question addressed: What is the valid scientific name of the taxon? Description: The binomial name of the taxon (normally at species level) including the authority as per dwc:scientificName. The choice of whether to include details of subspecific or supraspecific entities is due to data availability and in some cases regulatory listings. Darwin Core: dwc:scientificName Type: Character or NA in cases where there is a taxon that is required to be included in the report (e.g., as it is regulated) but that does not have a valid scientificName. In cases where a whole taxon is referred to (e.g., a whole genus) then it should be written as 'Genus Authority' taxonRank Question addressed: The taxonomic rank of the most specific name in the scientificName. Description: This provides information as to the level of identification given in the scientificName Darwin Core: dwc:taxonRank Type: Factor with eight or more levels, note can be higher level than genus Value Definition fam. Family gen. Genus sect. Section (between genus and subspecies) gx. Grex (used for flocks of orchids) complex Species complex sp. Species (will be for most taxa) subsp. Sub-species cv. Cultivar f. Forma (form) var. Varietas (variety) biotype Biotype strain Strain scientificNameSource Description: The taxonomic backbone used for the scientificName. An ‘accessed date’ should be provided if the information came from a database, and a web-link as appropriate. Note that the full reference will be included in the bibliography. See the section “REFERENCING AND BIBLIOGRAPHY” at the start of this document for more details Type: Factor, number of levels will vary over time Values: The following is a non-exhaustive list of sources used for nomenclature. If a source is added (in particular if not listed as below) make sure that the full reference is included in the accompanying reference list for the species list. In general for plants the backbone used is BODATSA. For all non-plant taxa the backbone used is the Global Biodiversity Information Facility. However, for many taxa these are not sufficient, in particular BODATSA only includes names of alien plant species found outside of captivity or cultivation and there are often delays between a change in nomenclature and an update processed in GBIF (if such updates are fed through). Value of NA value is possible for example for regulated species that are not valid taxa, or for hybrids. Value Scope Description and link BODATSA Native plants Alien plants found outside of captivity or cultivation The botanical database of Southern Africa, http://posa.sanbi.org/. Annual updates published as the South African National Plant Checklist. GBIF.org All taxa (not to be used for plant taxa in this database) Global Biodiversity Information Facility, https://www.gbif.org/. GBIF in turn uses various other primary sources for nomenclature, but the goal is not to list these here. POWO All plants. To be used primarily for taxa not found in BODATSA. Conflicts between BODATSA and POWO are to be resolved on a case by case basis Plants of the World Online, https://powo.science.kew.org/. IPNI All plants, should feed through to POWO and BODATSA but there can be delays The International Plant Name Index (IPNI), https://www.ipni.org/. name_not_resolved All taxa There is on-going confusion around the name, e.g., a species complex or similar that has not been resolved. Nemaplex Nematodes not found in GBIF THE "NEMATODE-PLANT EXPERT INFORMATION SYSTEM" A Virtual Encyclopedia on Soil and Plant Nematodes. http://nemaplex.ucdavis.edu/ http://nemaplex.ucdavis.edu/Uppermnus/g enspecsearch.htm. WoRMS Marine taxa not found in GBIF The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive list of names of marine organisms, including information on synonymy. https://www.marinespecies.org/. Zachariades_2021_A frican_Entomology Biological control agents released on plants, names not currently in GBIF https://doi.org/10.4001/003.029.1077. Example: BODATSA (12 April 2023)|POWO (12 April 2023) or if a link is included, BODATSA (12 April 2023) http://posa.sanbi.org/sanbi/record/details/6526ca7f-a2d5-4a47-ac09f72dc5194838|POWO (12 April 2023) https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:469663-1 otherNamesUsed Description: Synonyms, names misapplied, or names for which there were typos or no authority provided in the original source. These might have appeared in the regulations or in one of the data sources used. The names in this column have been incorporated into scientificName based on the scientificNameSource used. It is not intended to be a complete list of synonyms for a particular taxon but is a pragmatic list so that people can search for taxa that they might think are otherwise missing. Information on what was done is available in the intermediate data file for a particular source (see the workflow). Type: Character or NA, can be several values separated by a pipe delimiter. The full names including authorities should be added, including cases where there were typos. kingdom Description: The full scientific name of the kingdom in which the taxon is classified. The values are as per GBIF. Incertae sedis is Latin for 'of uncertain placement'. Darwin Core: dwc:kingdom Type: Factor, NA is not a possible value Values: Animalia, Archaea, Bacteria, Chromista, Fungi, Plantae, Protozoa, Viruses, incertae sedis Note: the values given here (and for phylum, class, order, and family) should not be regarded as authoritative as they are not automatically updated. The values are merely presented for user convenience. If these are to be used for any practical purpose, please refer back to the appropriate taxonomic backbone. The values presented were taken from GBIF, but the date on which this happened is not captured. phylum Description: The full scientific name of the phylum or division in which the taxon is classified. Darwin Core: dwc:phylum Type: Factor, NA is not a possible value Values: (examples) Chordata (phylum). Bryophyta (division). Note: see note under kingdom class Description: The full scientific name of the class in which the taxon is classified. Darwin Core: dwc:class Type: Factor, NA is a possible value if the value is not available on the relevant taxonomic source used Values: (examples) Mammalia, Hepaticopsida Note: see note under kingdom order Description: The full scientific name of the order in which the taxon is classified, the order level classification should be as per POWO for plants or as per GBIF. Darwin Core: dwc:order Type: Character, NA is a possible value if the value is not available on the relevant taxonomic source used Note: see note under kingdom family Description: The full scientific name of the family in which the taxon is classified, the family level classification should be as per POWO for plants or as per GBIF. Darwin Core: dwc:family Type: Character, NA is a possible value if the value is not available on the relevant taxonomic source used Note: see note under kingdom vernacularName Question addressed: What is the taxon commonly known as in South Africa? Description: This is intended to be the predominant common name used to describe the taxon in South Africa. The common name used is generally the English common name, recognising that more than one English common name may exist, and that common names in other South African official languages also exist. Exceptions are made when a non-English common name is predominantly or exclusively used to describe a species (e.g., in the case of Acacia cyclops, the common name “rooikrans” is used in preference to the English “red eye”). Darwin Core: dwc:vernacularName Type: character, or NA if no common name was found in usage. Lower case should be used throughout except for proper nouns. RegulatoryListing Question addressed: Is the taxon regulated as an alien species under South African law? Description: The listing as per the NEM:BA A&IS Regulations of 2020. Ref: Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (2020) National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act, 2004 (Act no. 10 of 2004): Alien and Invasive Species Lists. Government Gazette, Pretoria, 31–77 pp. Note: the exact wording of the listing might be different from the scientificName (e.g., Acacia decurrens Willd. Is listed as ‘Acacia decurrens Willd. And hybrids, varieties and selections’); contextspecific only refers to variation in the listing specified in the ‘categories’ field (e.g., in the regulations A. decurrens is listed in the category field only as “2”, but in the exemptions field it is listed as “Exempted for an existing plantation”, this is not regarded as context-specific here). In the 2014 and 2016 lists certain taxa were listed as prohibited (i.e. they were not present in the country and were not allowed to be introduced), however this prohibited list has since been removed. If a taxon is not present in the country it is (or should be) regarded as unlisted, unless there is a discrepancy in the regulatory lists. If the taxon is only described at a higher level than that at which the taxon is regulated then it is scored as uncertain. For example, there is a record of a dermestid from the Prince Edward Islands but only Trogoderma granarium is listed. If the taxon is listed on the Prince Edward Islands only, then it would not be included in this dataset. For those cases, see the Prince Edward Islands species list and metadata. Darwin Core: see extension http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gisin/2.0/regulatory.xml, but the allowed vocabulary is specific to South Africa. Relevant indicator(s): 4.1, 4.2–4.9 Type: Factor with 9 levels Value Definition 1a 1b 2 3 Context-specific Taxa that are listed in different categories depending on the area or ecosystem in which they are found and/or for which there are specific exemptions and/or prohibitions. Not.listed Taxa that are not listed under the version of the NEM:BA A&IS Lists as specified above. It can be assumed that they were never previously listed or formally proposed for listing (see categories below). Not.listed:was.listed Taxa that have in the past been listed, but are not currently listed. Not.listed:was.proposed Taxa that have in the past been formally proposed for listing (i.e., in a list published in the government gazette), but that were never formally listed. Uncertain The taxon might be listed, but the identity of the taxon is at a higher level than the regulatory listing, i.e., it is not clear whether the taxon is actually listed or not. regulatoryGrouping Description: In the NEM:BA A&IS Lists (2014, 2016, and 2020) taxa are listed in high-level groupings that correspond to a mix of taxonomic groupings and where the taxa occur. These groupings are included for reference only for taxa that are listed. In a few cases this grouping does not correspond to the kingdom (e.g., some marine algae are listed as marine plants). Type: Factor with 12 levels (as well as NA for taxa which are not currently listed as per RegulatoryListing) Value Definition Amphibian Bird Fish.FW Freshwater fish Fish.M Marine fish (there are no alien marine fish recorded from South African waters, but there was one prohibited species in the 2014 and 2016 lists). Invert.FW Freshwater invertebrates Value Definition Invert.M Marine invertebrates Invert.T Terrestrial invertebrates Mammal Microbe Microbial species (including all fungi) Plant.M Marine plants Plant.FWT Terrestrial and freshwater plants Reptile legallyImported Question addressed: Was the taxon legally brought into South Africa? Description: Whether permission was given for species to be imported and used outside of a quarantine facility. The criteria for this are as per the regulations. Relevant indicator(s): HIGH-LEVEL INDICATOR 1 Type: Factor with 5 levels Value Definition NE Not evaluated. NA Historical introductions prior to NEMBA A&IS Regulations or the legality of introductions is otherwise not known. biocontrol Species imported and that were permitted by a government department for them to be released. Legal An import permit was issued under A&IS Regulations and the species brought in legally for the first time after 2014. illegal The species is believed to have been imported for the first time after 2014 without an import permit. isNative Question addressed: Is the taxon native to (at least a part) of South Africa? Description: If a taxon is native to a part of South Africa (i.e. TRUE) then the taxon does not belong in this dataset unless: • the taxon has, or at some point had, native-alien populations (Nelufule et al. 2022) in South Africa (IntroductionStatus=NaturalisedNotInvasive|degreeOfEstablishment=C1–E); or • the taxon is (or was) prohibited from being introduced to another part of South Africa under regulations; or • a risk analysis (/assessment) has been conducted on the taxon; or • the taxon was at some point classified as alien to the whole of South Africa although the taxon’s nativity has since been settled and it is clear it is native. isNative does not align with the Darwin Core variable dwc:establishmentMeans, as terms like introduced confound whether it is alien to a region with dwc:degreeOfEstablishment or the field IntroductionStatus coded here (cf. Groom et al. 2019). For a discussion on the criteria used to classify something as cryptogenic see Essl et al. (2018), with terms as per Carlton (1996) and Richardson et al. (2011). The category of not evaluated as proposed by Essl et al. (2018) is not used here, as if there has been no evaluation of a species’ nativity then it also does not belong to this Value transportContaminant:timberTrade transportContaminant:transportationHabitatMaterial transportStowaway transportStowaway:fishingEquipment transportStowaway:containerBulk transportStowaway:hitchhikersAirplane transportStowaway:hitchhikersShip transportStowaway:machineryEquipment transportStowaway:people transportStowaway:packingMaterial transportStowaway:ballastWater transportStowaway:hullFouling transportStowaway:vehicles transportStowaway:otherTransport corridor corridor:waterwaysBasinsSeas corridor:tunnelsBridges unaided unaided:naturalDispersal unknown pathwayConfidence Description: The confidence with which the variable pathway was scored for a given taxon Type: Factor with 3 levels (and NA if pathway is Unknown) Value Definition high Direct evidence that it was introduced along a pathway. medium Indirect evidence (e.g., correlation between pathway and sites in the country). low Inferred based on species traits and/or other regions. pathwaySource Description: The reference or sources that were used to score the pathway for a given taxon Type: text Values: reference(s) eventDateIntroduction Question addressed: When was the taxon first introduced as an alien to South Africa? Description: The year in which the taxon was first introduced to South Africa (i.e. dwc:eventDate). In some definitions introduction is taken to be the first record outside of captivity or cultivation (cf. IPBES IAS Assessment), however here we take the literal approach, i.e., the date when a taxon is first introduced to the country at the border. Introductions thus include taxa which are brought into quarantine (and might never be released). Additional eventDates might be added in future that are closer to the sense in which IPBES has used the term (e.g., date of first record of naturalisation). Should conform to ISO 8601:2004(E), noting the standard allows for date ranges. This is not, necessarily, the same as the date of first record, though obviously the date of first record provides an important estimate for this. Relevant indicator(s): 1.2, 2.1 Type: An ordered factor with potential levels up to 31 December 2022. Values: Any dates before the current era (i.e., BC) are marked as negative. eventDateIntroductionConfidence Description: The confidence with which the variable eventDateIntroduction was scored for a given taxon. There are two aspects that determine this confidence level. First the degree of confidence that the first record was a real record, and second how close to the date of introduction was the first record. Type: Factor with 3 levels (and NA if eventDateIntroduction is NA) Value Definition high There is reliable evidence both that the taxon was recorded in that year (e.g., from herbarium records or DNA samples) AND that the taxon was not introduced earlier. This could include records of deliberate introductions of organisms that would not otherwise arrive accidentally. The estimate is highly likely to be within 2 years of the actual date of introduction. medium There is strong evidence that a taxon was recorded that year / date range, but there could have been earlier records. OR The evidence that the taxon was recorded that year / date range is weak, but it is unlikely that there could have been earlier records. OR The site of first detection is associated with a likely introduction pathway that can be assigned to a particular date range. The estimate is highly likely to be within 20 years of the actual date. low The first record of the taxon is disputed and only much more recently do reliable records confirm presence. OR It is highly possible that introductions were occurring but the taxon was not detected as there was no explicit search efforts in place. The estimate is likely to be decades from the actual date. Note: Importantly there are a few caveats to this value. First when a taxon was first introduced to South Africa might be much earlier than date of the introduction that subsequently led to an established and/or invasive population (many introductions fail). Second, the first record depends on the search effort, this is not explicitly measured here but could potentially be. For example, if a pest was not previously intercepted at the border despite border inspections being in place, but shortly after the first interceptions were recorded the pest was found to have established in the field, it could be assumed that border inspections would have picked up introductions. The first interception therefore provides evidence that introductions were occurring, there is evidence that the taxon was detectable, and the search in this case was probably appropriate, though of course the exact date of introduction that led to the establishment is not known. eventDateIntroductionSource Description: The reference or sources that were used to score the eventDateIntroduction for a given taxon Type: text Values: reference(s) RangeBroadAdmin Question addressed: How widespread is the alien taxon outside of captivity/cultivation in South Africa—in terms of broad administrative regions? Description: This lists the occupancy of specific administrative regions (the nine provinces; 22 water management areas for freshwater systems; and seven marine ecoregions), noting that the Prince Edward Islands are not included here as they have their own separate files for species list and metadata. Relevant indicator(s): 2.2.1 Type: A factor with 37 levels (and NA if there is no range OR if the range is not known with this level of precision). Values: Multiple levels that apply are separated by a pipe delimiter. Value Definition EC Eastern Cape Province FS Free-State Province GP Gauteng Province KZN KwaZulu Natal Province LP Limpopo Province MP Mpumalanga Province NC Northern Cape Province NW North-West Province WC Western Cape Province WMAA– WMAX the 22 National Water Management Areas, labelled A to X SB Southern Benguela marine ecoregion AG Agulhas marine ecoregion NT Natal marine ecoregion DL Delagoa marine ecoregion SEA Southeast Atlantic marine ecoregion SWI Southwest Indian marine ecoregion RangeBroadAdminConfidence Description: The confidence with which the variable RangeBroadAdmin was scored for a given taxon Type: Factor with 3 levels (and NA if RangeBroadAdmin is NA) Value Definition high Included in a formal verified atlas or mapping project based on recent surveys with adequate ground-truthing. There is some indication that there have been surveys at sites where the taxon is not recorded as present. medium Data from an atlas project, though it is not explicit that sites where it is not recorded as present would have been recorded/some sites might not have been surveyed. low Interpreted from expert opinion. RangeBroadAdminSource Description: The reference or sources that were used to score the RangeBroadAdmin for a given taxon Type: character or NA Values: reference(s) RangeBroadEcol Question addressed: How widespread is the alien taxon outside of captivity/cultivation in South Africa—in terms broad ecological regions? Description: This lists the occupancy of specific biogeographic regions (the biomes for terrestrial systems; for freshwater systems; and six marine ecoregions as per Sink et al. (2012), noting that this excludes the Prince Edward Island marine ecoregion). Relevant indicator(s): 2.2.1 Type: A factor with multiple levels (and NA if there is no range OR if the range is not known with this level of precision). Multiple levels that apply are separated by a pipe delimiter. Values: if a factor with several levels as a table (e.g., for confidence levels) Value Definition AT Terrestrial ecoregion - Albany Thicket Aza, AZd, AZe Terrestrial ecoregion - Azonal Vegetation D Terrestrial ecoregion - Desert FO Terrestrial ecoregion - Forests FF, FR, FS Terrestrial ecoregion - Fynbos G Terrestrial ecoregion - Grassland CB Terrestrial ecoregion - Indian Ocean Coastal Belt AZf, AZi, Azm, AZs Terrestrial ecoregion - Inland Azonal Vegetation NK Terrestrial ecoregion - Nama-Karoo SV Terrestrial ecoregion - Savanna SK Terrestrial ecoregion - Succulent Karoo CT Estuarine - Cool temperate ST Estuarine - Subtropical TR Estuarine - Tropical Value Definition WT Estuarine - Warm Temperate SB Marine ecoregion - Benguela AG Marine ecoregion - Agulhas NT Marine ecoregion - Natal DL Marine ecoregion - Delagoa SEA Marine ecoregion - Southeast Atlantic SWI Marine ecoregion - Southwest Indian RangeBroadEcolConfidence Description: The confidence with which the variable RangeBroadEcol was scored for a given taxon Type: Factor with 3 levels (and NA if RangeBroadEcol is NA) Value Definition high Included in a formal verified atlas or mapping project based on recent surveys with adequate ground-truthing. There is some indication that there have been surveys at sites where the taxon is not recorded as present. medium Data from an atlas project, though it is not explicit that sites where it is not recorded as present would have been recorded/some sites might not have been surveyed. low Interpreted from expert opinion. RangeBroadEcolSource Description: The reference or sources that were used to score the RangeBroadEcol for a given taxon Type: character or NA Values: reference(s) RangeQDGC Question addressed: How widespread is the alien taxon outside of captivity/cultivation in South Africa—in terms of quarter-degree grid cells? Description: The number of quarter-degree grid cells occupied by the taxon in its alien range (for where they are found, consult the data sources) Relevant indicator(s): 2.2.2 Type: integer Values: 1–1758 or NA if there is no range or if not known with this level of precision RangeQDGCConfidence Description: The confidence with which the variable RangeQDGC was scored for a given taxon Type: Factor with 3 levels (and NA if RangeQDGC is NA) Value Definition high Included in a formal verified atlas or mapping project based on recent surveys with adequate ground-truthing. There is some indication that there have been surveys at sites where the taxon is not recorded as present. Value Definition medium Data from an atlas project, though it is not explicit that sites where it is not recorded as present would have been recorded/some sites might not have been surveyed. low Interpreted from expert opinion. RangeQDGCSource Description: The reference or sources that were used to score the RangeQDGC for a given taxon Type: character or NA Values: reference(s) RangeExact Question addressed: How widespread is the alien taxon outside of captivity/cultivation in South Africa—in terms of area occupied? Description: An estimate of the area occupied by the species at a specific resolution Relevant indicator(s): 2.2.3 Type: Numeric or NA if there is no range or if not known with this level of precision Values: depends on RangeExactType RangeExactType Description: The units in which the range is presented (e.g., ha, km of coastline, rivers) Type: factor Values: levels to be determined and modified as data added e.g., ha—occupied area in terms of hectares putting a polygon around point patterns of individual discrete populations RangeExactConfidence Description: The confidence with which the variable RangeExact was scored for a given taxon Type: Factor with 3 levels (and NA if RangeExact is NA) Value Definition high Data based on a project within the last decade specifically designed to map the range of the taxon in question, with search effort explicit and sufficient to determine where taxa are and where they are not. Might include citizen science component for easily identified taxa. Appropriate statistical technique used to estimate total range size (particular if disjunct distributions). medium Data from atlas project or general mapping project with indication of sampling effort, but data not complete or not recent (e.g., >10 years old). low No absence data, no clear statistical methodology for estimating range size, or very broad estimate. RangeExactSource Description: The reference or sources that were used to score RangeExact for a given taxon Type: character or NA Values: reference(s) RangeFreeText Question addressed: How widespread is the alien taxon outside of captivity/cultivation in South Africa—text description of current range? Description: Notes as to the range can be made, e.g., if it is restricted only to specific habitats like urban areas or harbours Relevant indicator(s): 2.2 Type: character or NA RangeFreeTextSource Description: The reference or sources that were used to score RangeFreeText for a given taxon Type: character or NA Values: reference(s) organismQuantityCategorical Question addressed: How abundant is the taxon in its alien range in South Africa as of December 2022—is there a qualitative measure per spatial unit? Description: Categorical measure of abundance per species per locality, with localities defined using organismQuantityCategoricalType (cf. dwc:organismQuantity and dwc:organismQuantityType) Relevant indicator(s): 2.3.1 Type: Factor with 3 levels Value Definition TRUE An evaluation of abundance based on (absent; rare; occasional; abundant) has been made for the alien taxon at -at leastsome of the localities where it occurs. FALSE NA It is not present. organismQuantityCategoricalType Description: the spatial unit(s) for which data on quantities are available Type: factor Values: levels to be determined and modified as data added, e.g., provinces, or protected areas organismQuantityCategoricalConfidence Description: The confidence with which the variable organismQuantityCategorical was scored for a given taxon Type: Factor with 3 levels (and NA if organismQuantityCategorical is NA) Value Definition high Recent survey, technique used well documented, and several people confirming the value obtained (e.g., included in a formal verified atlas or mapping project based on recent surveys with adequate ground-truthing). medium Data from an atlas project, or recent survey but only one person. low Interpreted from expert opinion, or no clear basis for the value given, or over 10 years ago. organismQuantityCategoricalSource Description: The reference or sources that were used to score organismQuantityCategorical for a given taxon Type: character or NA Values: reference(s) organismQuantityExact Question addressed: How abundant is the taxon in its alien range in South Africa—in terms of an exact overall number? Description: An estimate of the area occupied by the species at a specific resolution, or numbers of individuals Relevant indicator(s): 2.3.2 Type: Numeric organismQuantityExactType Description: The type of data of organismQuantityExact Type: Factor with 2 levels (and NA if organismQuantityExact is NA) Values: if a factor with several levels as a table (e.g., for confidence levels) Value Definition numind Number of individuals cca Condensed canopy area in ha organismQuantityExactConfidence Description: The confidence with which the variable organismQuantityExact was scored for a given taxon Type: Factor with 3 levels (and NA if organismQuantityExact is NA) Value Definition high Accurate and recent population census, using appropriate statistical techniques. medium Estimation based on sampling that uses assumptions and makes extrapolations. low Expert opinion. organismQuantityExactSource Description: The reference or sources that were used to score organismQuantityExact for a given taxon Type: character or NA Values: reference(s) organismQuantityDetailed Question addressed: How abundant is the taxon in its alien range in South Africa—are detailed information available on individuals? Description: Are detailed data available e.g., on the sizes, ages, or condition of individuals, that make up the population Relevant indicator(s): 2.3.3 Type: Factor with 2 levels Values: TRUE or FALSE organismQuantityDetailedSource Description: The reference or sources where data on organismQuantity area available Type: character or NA Values: reference(s) impactEICATSouthAfrica Question addressed: How severe are the most severe recorded negative environmental impacts of the alien taxon in South Africa? Description: A single value should be given which is the maximum recorded environmental impact in South Africa (Blackburn et al. 2014; Hawkins et al. 2015; IUCN 2020). Relevant indicator(s): 2.4 Type: Factor with 7 levels (including NA if there is no alien population and NE if it has not been evaluated within the context of the report) Value Definition MC Minimal Concern MN Minor MO Moderate MR Major MV Massive DD Data Deficient NA No Alien population NE Not Evaluated impactEICATSouthAfricaConfidence Description: The confidence with which the variable impactEICATSouthAfrica was scored for a given taxon. Guidance regarding the use of the confidence rating is taken from Hawkins et al. (2015) as modified therein from the EPPO pest risk assessment decision support scheme (Alan MacLeod 09/03/2011; revised 28/04/2011; copied from CAPRA, version 2.74; 2). Type: Factor with 3 levels (and NA) Value Definition high Approximately 90% chance of assessment being correct. There is direct relevant observational evidence to support the assessment; and impacts are recorded at the typical spatial scale over which original native communities can be characterised; and there are reliable/good quality data sources on impacts of the taxa; and the interpretation of data/information is straightforward; and data/information are not controversial or contradictory. medium There is some direct observational evidence to support the assessment, but some information is inferred; and/or impacts are recorded at a spatial scale which may not be relevant to the scale over which original native communities can be characterized, but extrapolation or downscaling of the data to relevant scales is considered reliable, or to embrace little uncertainty; and/or the interpretation of the data is to some extent ambiguous or contradictory. low There is no direct observational evidence to support the assessment, e.g., only inferred data have been used as supporting evidence; and/or impacts are recorded at a spatial scale which is unlikely to be relevant to the scale over which original native communities can be characterized, and extrapolation or downscaling of the data to relevant scales is considered unreliable or to embrace significant uncertainties; and/or evidence is poor and difficult to interpret, e.g., because it is strongly ambiguous; and/or the information sources are considered to be of low quality or contain information that is unreliable. impactEICATSouthAfricaSource Description: The reference or sources that were used to score impactEICATSouthAfrica for a given taxon. The reference should be to the impact assessment conducted rather than to all the primary sources. Type: character or NA Values: reference(s) impactEICAT Question addressed: How severe might the negative environmental impacts of the alien taxon be? Description: A single value should be given which is the maximum recorded environmental impact in any alien range of the taxon (Blackburn et al. 2014; Hawkins et al. 2015; IUCN 2020). This is included here to give an indication of which taxa are known to cause damage. Note, this does not assess the likelihood of similar impacts being realised in South Africa (e.g., it does not take into account climatic suitability and environmental context), although information from South Africa might be used in the assessment. Description: outcome indicator for management based in part on that developed for assessing the efficacy of classical biological control programmes (Klein, 2011), and specifically the extent to which management is needed to maintain populations below a set threshold. Relevant indicator(s): 4.8 Type: Factor with seven levels Value Definition NA The taxon has not been subjected to treatment, or whether it has been subjected to treatment is not known, i.e. speciesTreated is NE or none. NE There has been some treatment, but the effectiveness of such has not been evaluated or is otherwise not known. counterproductive There is evidence that control has led to further spread; has caused increases in abundance; and/or has made subsequent treatments more difficult without reducing the invasion. ineffective The extent of the invasion or the abundance of the species has continued to increase at rates that would have been expected if no control had been applied. partial Rate of increase in extent or abundance has slowed. effective Extent or abundance is decreasing or has ended up below a management threshold, but management is still required to maintain the populations below the threshold. permanent There is no more active management and despite this the population remains below the management threshold. eradicated The taxon has been successfully eradicated from South Africa. speciesTreatedEffectConfidence Description: The confidence with which the variable speciesTreatedEffect was scored for a given taxon Type: Factor with 3 levels (and NA) Value Definition high There has been a published peer-reviewed quantitative assessment of the degree of control achieved. medium There is a report that is based on monitoring data. low Expert opinion. speciesTreatedEffectSource Description: The reference or sources that were used to score speciesTreatedEffect for a given taxon Type: character or NA Values: reference(s) realm Question addressed: Which 'realm' is the species adapted to? Description: This column is to enable cross-compatibility with South Africa's National Biodiversity Assessment process, and the allowed values are taken from here. This is a species level property and not a property of the invasion itself. To work out which taxa are invasive in a given realm, need to link to degreeOfEstablishment or introductionStatus. This is not taken directly from RegulatoryGrouping, in part as the values do not align (e.g., RegulatoryGrouping has freshwater, realm has InIndAqu). Note that ‘coastal’ is not a realm, but a zone in which the marine, estuarine and terrestrial realms meet, and therefore coastal taxa will be marine and / or terrestrial and / or estuarine depending on their preferences. Type: A factor with 4 levels and any combination of these levels (and NA if it has not been classified). Multiple levels that apply are separated by a pipe delimiter. Value Definition Estuarine Inhabits estuarine systems. InlndAqu Inhabits inland aquatic systems (including freshwater lentic and lotic). M Inhabits marine ecosystems, including both pelagic and benthic. T Inhabits terrestrial ecosystems, note no separation is made for edaphic or aerial taxa. realmSource Description: The reference or sources that were used to score the realm for a given taxon Type: character or NA Values: reference(s), in this case it is acceptable to reference the NBA and the references contained therein.