Integrating local knowledge and forest surveys to assess Lantana camara impacts on indigenous species recruitment in Mazeppa Bay, South Africa

Invasive alien species have variable impacts on peoples’ livelihoods, plant communities and species at the local scale. Local people often have deeper insights into and experiences of these impacts than can be measured by scientific surveys. Here we examine the impacts of Lantana camara on the recruitment of indigenous forest species, many of which are used by local people. We integrate findings from conversations with elderly respondents with standard ecological surveys. Both sources of information indicate that the increasing presence of Lantana suppresses the number and species richness of recruits of indigenous forest species, which may retard forest succession. Dense thickets of Lantana also restricted access to non-timber forest products and species of cultural significance. The origin and date of the Lantana introduction in the area was identified by respondents as the 1960s and it escaped into the wild in the early 1970s. These findings can be incorporated into locally based management considerations