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Abstract
It is now well recognised that invasive alien species, particularly tree species, often have much increased
water usage compared with native vegetation. Perhaps less well understood are the reasons for this
increased water use and whether such increases should be expected from all species of invading alien
trees under all environmental conditions. This paper examines the reasons for increased water use from
trees as compared with short crops. From a knowledge of these reasons and a knowledge of the limiting
processes (the Limits Concept) governing alien tree and native tree and short crop water use, (derived
from case studies in India and RSA), we suggest that it is now possible to assess under what conditions
high water use by aliens may occur. Inverse solutions based on knowledge of growth rates are also
suggested as another approach for assessing alien and native tree water use under water limited
conditions. We conclude that in dry climates the greatest increase in water use from aliens, in both
absolute and percentage terms, may occur in water limited rather than riparian (water unlimited)
conditions. Hydrological models which can predict the spatially distributed increase in water use by
aliens within catchments, coupled with ecological models which can predict controlled and uncontrolled
invasion, can assist the evaluation and design of improved cost-effective eradication programmes. Such
coupled models, linked with an economic evaluation component, should indicate in what circumstances
the value of the extra streamflow released may alone be sufficient to cover the costs of the eradication
programme and under what circumstances the ecological (protection of indigenous communities) and
other socio-economic benefits also need to be taken into account to justify the costs of the programme.