Dieter Schlange- Westlake Conservation

Invasive plant management is the responsibility of every landowner including local municipalities. Managing invasive plants in urban environment brings its unique challenges and opportunities.

Invasive Species Unit has four units which are working towards eliminating invasive species in the City of Cape Town and those units are: aquatic, terrestrial, special projects and knowledge management.

Terrestrial Invasive plant management has three funders which are helping them and those funders are Working for Water, Kader Asmal EPWP Funding and City of Cape Town Department.

The challenges that they have in the City of Cape Town is trying to balancing biodiversity and water, fire and safety, biomass, expectations and emerging weeds/garden escapes. So to win the battle against invasive plant species we must understand those challenges, plan carefully and always make sure that we are flexible, always have the end in mind and adapt management.