MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

South Georgia launches Protect, Sustain, Inspire as part of its non native plant management strategy

The Strategy builds on the 2016-2020 document and will guide the delivery of an effective program of control of high priority non-native plant species at key sites

The control and management of non-native species is a key factor in ensuring that the island of South Georgia continues to be an ecosystem in recovery. Under the Protect, Sustain, Inspire framework, the Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) has committed to comprehensive invasive plant management.

According to the South Georgia Newsletter, the Non-Native Plant Management Strategy builds on the 2016-2020 document and will guide the delivery of an effective program of control of high priority non-native plant species at key sites through the continued use of data management tools which optimize the efficacy of field workers.

In order to develop non-native plant management on South Georgia further, the Government recognizes that whist control remains the priority, there needs to be increased investment into research on non-native plant life histories and climate change impacts. Additionally, capacity building is needed to secure the skills base the project will require in the future.

Non-native plant management work is part of a broader commitment to protect the ecosystems of South Georgia through the implementation of Protect, Sustain, Inspire, as detailed in our Implementation Program. The plan can be downloaded from here.