Aliens in the nursery : assessing the awareness and attitudes of Cape Town nursery managers in regard to invasive species regulations

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dc.contributor.advisorHoffman, Timmen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorKaplan, Hayleeen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorCronin, Kateen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2015-12-03T14:17:37Z
dc.date.available2015-12-03T14:17:37Z
dc.date.issued2015en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThe horticultural industry is recognised as one of the major pathways for the introduction and spread of invasive alien plants (IAPs). In recognition of this, the South African government has recently enacted a new set of Alien and Invasive Species regulations, under the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), that are intended, in part, to improve controls on the horticultural industry's role in the spread of IAPs. In order to assess, and possibly enhance, the likely effectiveness of NEMBA, it is critical to build an understanding of stakeholders' awareness and attitudes towards the control of IAPs and associated regulatory policies. A two-pronged approach – involving nursery manager interviews (n=30) and plant stock audit assessments (n=41) - was used to gauge the awareness, compliance and attitudes of Cape Town nursery managers towards the NEMBA regulations. Results showed that less than ten percent of the city's audited nurseries were compliant with the NEMBA regulations, and that over fifty percent were stocking IAPs that have been regulated for at least thirteen years under a previous set of regulations (the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, CARA). This is despite high levels of awareness about the CARA regulations reported in the interviews, reported enthusiasm for compliance, apparent concern for the environment, evidence that managers understand the problems that IAPs cause, extensive reported support for the control of IAPs, and a reportedly strong sense of duty to protect the environment. The vast majority (73.5%) of IAP species found in nurseries were NEMBA category 1b invaders such as Nerium oleander, Lantana montevidensis and Canna indica. These are species that are widespread and well-established invaders that require control. This study suggests that a range of factors are likely to negatively influence compliance including a perceived lack of enforcement, weak communication from government, issues related to the clarity of the regulations, the lack of inclusion of the industry in the regulatory process, and a lack of awareness, with at least half of the managers reporting that they had not heard about the enactment of NEMBA. Any attempt to improve the impact of the new regulations will need to adequately address each of these factors. The results of the study suggest that enhancing the impact of NEMBA will require improving aspects of the legislation itself, and supplementing the current top-down approach to regulation with an inclusive partner-centred approach.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationCronin, K. (2015). <i>Aliens in the nursery : assessing the awareness and attitudes of Cape Town nursery managers in regard to invasive species regulations</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15558en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationCronin, Kate. <i>"Aliens in the nursery : assessing the awareness and attitudes of Cape Town nursery managers in regard to invasive species regulations."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15558en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationCronin, K. 2015. Aliens in the nursery : assessing the awareness and attitudes of Cape Town nursery managers in regard to invasive species regulations. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Cronin, Kate AB - The horticultural industry is recognised as one of the major pathways for the introduction and spread of invasive alien plants (IAPs). In recognition of this, the South African government has recently enacted a new set of Alien and Invasive Species regulations, under the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), that are intended, in part, to improve controls on the horticultural industry's role in the spread of IAPs. In order to assess, and possibly enhance, the likely effectiveness of NEMBA, it is critical to build an understanding of stakeholders' awareness and attitudes towards the control of IAPs and associated regulatory policies. A two-pronged approach – involving nursery manager interviews (n=30) and plant stock audit assessments (n=41) - was used to gauge the awareness, compliance and attitudes of Cape Town nursery managers towards the NEMBA regulations. Results showed that less than ten percent of the city's audited nurseries were compliant with the NEMBA regulations, and that over fifty percent were stocking IAPs that have been regulated for at least thirteen years under a previous set of regulations (the Conservation of Agricultural Resources Act, CARA). This is despite high levels of awareness about the CARA regulations reported in the interviews, reported enthusiasm for compliance, apparent concern for the environment, evidence that managers understand the problems that IAPs cause, extensive reported support for the control of IAPs, and a reportedly strong sense of duty to protect the environment. The vast majority (73.5%) of IAP species found in nurseries were NEMBA category 1b invaders such as Nerium oleander, Lantana montevidensis and Canna indica. These are species that are widespread and well-established invaders that require control. This study suggests that a range of factors are likely to negatively influence compliance including a perceived lack of enforcement, weak communication from government, issues related to the clarity of the regulations, the lack of inclusion of the industry in the regulatory process, and a lack of awareness, with at least half of the managers reporting that they had not heard about the enactment of NEMBA. Any attempt to improve the impact of the new regulations will need to adequately address each of these factors. The results of the study suggest that enhancing the impact of NEMBA will require improving aspects of the legislation itself, and supplementing the current top-down approach to regulation with an inclusive partner-centred approach. DA - 2015 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2015 T1 - Aliens in the nursery : assessing the awareness and attitudes of Cape Town nursery managers in regard to invasive species regulations TI - Aliens in the nursery : assessing the awareness and attitudes of Cape Town nursery managers in regard to invasive species regulations UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15558 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/15558
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationCronin K. Aliens in the nursery : assessing the awareness and attitudes of Cape Town nursery managers in regard to invasive species regulations. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Science ,Department of Biological Sciences, 2015 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/15558en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Biological Sciencesen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Scienceen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherBiological Sciencesen_ZA
dc.titleAliens in the nursery : assessing the awareness and attitudes of Cape Town nursery managers in regard to invasive species regulationsen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMScen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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