THE IMPACT OF INVASIVE ALIEN PLANTS ON PEOPLE’S LIVES

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THE IMPACT OF INVASIVE ALIEN PLANTS ON THE
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT
BY SR MUGANWA
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INTRODUCTION

• WHAT TYPES OF PLANTS ARE THESE?
• PLANTS FOUND IN PLACES WHERE THEY DID NOT OCCUR
  IN THE PAST
• WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?
• THEY COME FROM OTHER COUNTRIES BROUGHT BY HUMANS
  WHO INTENTIONALLY OR UNINTENTIONALLY INTRODUCE
  THESE PLANTS IN OUR COUNTRY OR THROUGH DISPERSAL
  BY ANIMALS, AIR etc
  

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BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

• REASONS FOR SELECTING TOPIC
• EDUCATIONAL Most people are not aware of the
  difference between invasive alien plants and
  indigenous plants.
• Some plants are used as medicine, others for
  wood, food, decorating sides and people think
  that they are good and should be kept.
• Every year on Abor day communities are given
  plants to grow and some of these plants are
  invasive alien plants.
• Learners and Educators cannot classify plants
  which grow around their areas as indigenous or
  invasive alien plants.

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WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE BEFORE COMMENCEMENT OF PROJECT

• BEFORE COMMENCEMENT OF PROJECT BOTH BUILDING AND
  THE PAVEMENT NEAR WHERE ALIEN PLANTS WERE GROWN
  HAD STARTED TO CRACK.
• PLANTS THAT HAD BEEN PLANTED IN THE GARDEN HAD
  DISAPPEARED AND HAD BEEN REPLACED BY STRANGE
  PLANTS/SPECIES.
• LEARNERS DOING LIFE SCIENCES (ENVIRONMENTAL
  STUDIES ) COULD NOT CLASSIFY PLANTS AS INVASIVE
  OR INDIGENOUS, WHEN DOING PRACTICAL
  INVESTIGATION.
  

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CRACKS ON THE PAVEMENT
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CRACK ON THE WALL
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PLANTS DESTROYED ALIEN PLANTS HAVE TAKEN OVER
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PROBLEMS IDENTIFIED

• ALIEN INVASIVE PLANTS ARE THE ONES THAT CAUSE
  CRACKS ON THE PAVING.
• ALIEN INVASIVE PLANTS KILL OTHER PLANTS, MOSTLY
  THE INDIGENOUS ONES AND END UP TAKING OVER THE
  WHOLE GARDEN.

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A CHOKED TREE
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INVASIVE PLANTS HAVE TAKEN OVER ONE GARDEN IN THE
COMMUNITY
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POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

• REMOVAL OF INVADERS
• BIG TREES IN SCHOOL YARD DOE HAS PROMISSED TO
  REMOVE ALL ALIEN INVASIVE TREES DURING MAJOR
  RENOVATION OF THE SCHOOL.
• LEARNERS WILL UPROOT AND BURN ALL ALIEN INVASIVE
  PLANTS IN THE SCHOOL GARDEN AND SURROUNDING AREA
  WHEN THE FIRST RAINS COME.

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ACTIVITIES INSIDE THE CLASSROOM

• LEARNERS WERE GIVEN A PRACTICAL INVESTIGATION .
• EXAMPLE READ THE PARAGRAPH BELOW AND ANSWER
  THE QUESTIONS THAT FOLLOW

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Activities cont.

• ALIEN INVASIVE PLANTS WERE INTRODUCED BY
  ENTHUSIASTIC GARDNERS TO BEAUTIFY THE ENVIRONMENT
  OR TO HELP CONTROL SHIFTING SANDS (e.g. PORT
  JACKSON AND ROOOIKRANS) OR AS NATURAL FENCING
  (e.g. PRINCKLY PEAR). TODAY THEIR CONTROL COSTS
  HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY ANNUALLY. HIGH-YIELD,
  HIGH-INPUT GREEN FOOD CROPS WERE DEVELOPED TO
  MEET THE HUNGER NEEDS OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
  THESE TECHNOLOGIES HAVE BECOME COSTLY
  INTRODUCTIONS THAT DO NOT OFFER THE SAME BENEFITS
  COUNTRIS, SO ARGUABLY, INCREASING POVERTY.
• QUESTIONS
• 1.1 MENTION THREE IMPORTANCES OF INTRODUCING
  ALIEN PLANTS (3)
• 1.2 GIVE THREE REASONS WHY GM GOODS WERE
  DEVELOPED IN TRYING TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE
  PEOPLE (3)
• 1.3 LIST THREE ALIEN PLANTS THAT YOU KNOW. (3)
• 1.4 SUPPLY THE REASONS WHY THEIR CONTROL IS SO
  COSTLY.
• 1.5 WHAT IS MEANT BY THE FOLLOWING TERMS
• a. Indigenous plants
  
  (1)
• b. Exotic plants
  
  (1)
• c. Invasive alien plant
  
  (1)
• d. Endemic
  
  (1)
• e. Genetically modified foods
  
  (1)

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LEARNERS PREPARING IAP's FOR PRESSING
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PRESSING TAKES PLACE
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DISPLAY OF PRESSED DRIED PLANTS
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MORE DISPLAY
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OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM

• WORK IN GROUPS AND CHOOSE AN AREA THAT HAS PLANTS
  BUT IS NOT CULTIVATED.
• STEP 1 COLLECT A SAMPLE OF AN ALIEN PLANT IN
  YOUR AREA
• STEP 2 MAKE A DRAWING/TAKE A PHOTOGRAPH
  OF EACH PLANT
• STEP 3 IDENTIFY THE PLANT, NAME , DETAILS OF
  HABITAT, DATE AND PLACE OF COLLECTION,
  INDICATE WHETHER PLANT IS COMMON, RARE,
  OCCASIONAL, FREQUENT OR ABUNDANT

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CONTINUED

• STEP 4 PRESS THE PLANT BETWEEN TWO NEWPAPERS
  FOR A LAYOUT
• STEP 5 USE A STICKY TAPE TO ATTACH A DRIED
  PLANT SPECIMEN TO A PIECE OF A4 CARD. ON THE CARD
  RECORD THE INFORMATION FROM STEP 3
• STEP 6 PRESENT YOUR IDEAS TO A GROUP. IN YOUR
  PRESENTATION EXPLAIN HOW YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR
  INVESTIGATION AND HOW VALUABLE THE INFORMATION IS
  FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITY. TOTAL 25

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COLLECTING IAP's
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MORE COLLECTION
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THE CHALLENGES

• LITTLE OR NO EASILY AVAILABLE LITERATURE ON ALIEN
  PLANTS IN BOTH SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY LIBRARIES.
• THIS TOPIC SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN SCHOOL THE
  CURRICULUM.
• NEED FOR MORE EXPERTISE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN
  USEFUL IAP's (FOR PROTECTION/PRESERVATION FOR
  FURTHER/FUTURE USE) AND DANGEROUS IAP's (FOR
  DESTRUCTION)

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WAY FORWARD/RECOMMENDATIONS

• AWARENESS CAMPAINS SHOULD BE MADE THROUGH THE
  MEDIA, CURRICULUM AND GATHERINGS TO SENSITISE THE
  NATION SO THAT EVERYBODY IS SKILLED TO IDENTIFY
  AND PROTECT, DESTROY IAP's AS THE CASE MAY BE.
• LEARNERS SHOULD BE ENCOURAGED TO FOLLOW THE
  ENVIRONMENTAL FIELD OF STUDY AT HIGHER LEVELS.
• FURTHER RESEARCH SHOULD ALSO BE UNDERTAKEN BY
  ACADEMICS.
• WHOLE NATION SHOULD TAKE OWNERSHIP OF
  ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS/ISSUES. ENVIRONMENT SHOULD
  NOT BE THE CONCERN OF ONLY A FEW MEMBERS OF
  SOCIETY.

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CONCLUSION

• DEPARTMENT OF WATER AFFAIRS (under which the
  environment portfolio falls SHOULD STRIVE TO
  OBTAIN POLITICAL BUY IN SO THAT MORE FUNDS ARE
  INVESTED IN THE ENVIRONMENT.

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THE END

• THANK YOU!