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<p>Invasive Alien Plant Species (IAPS) pose growing ecological and socio-economic challenges by altering native biodiversity, affecting ecosystem services, and threatening local livelihoods. Understanding how local communities perceive and respond to these invasions is crucial for developing effective management strategies that integrate both ecological and social dimensions. Subsequently, this study addressed the research gap by examining local communities’ knowledge, awareness, perceptions, and attitudes toward IAPS in four villages in the Bunda and Busega Districts of Tanzania’s Lake Zone. Semi-structured household questionnaire interviews were used to assess respondents’ knowledge and experiences with IAPS. Using semi-structured household surveys complemented by regression analyses, we assessed socio-demographic determinants and the effects of information exposure. Overall, 67.5% of respondents reported awareness of invasive species, with recognition highest for <i>Lantana camara</i> (88%) and <i>Eichhornia crassipes</i> (84%). Logistic regression results showed that access to information sources was strongly associated with a higher likelihood of awareness (OR 4.23, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001) and reported observation of species (OR 2.91, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), while most socio-demographic variables were not statistically significant predictors. Descriptive results based on respondents’ recall suggest differences between initial perceptions at the time of first encounter and current perceptions, with a higher proportion of respondents now recognising the harmful impacts of IAPS. A significant association between initial and current perceptions indicates that these differences are unlikely to be random; however, regression analyses did not detect statistically significant temporal effects between survey periods, and these patterns should be interpreted with caution. Ordered logistic regression indicated that age, gender, and information exposure were significantly associated with perception outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of access to information and lived experience in shaping community responses to biological invasions and underscore the need to integrate communication, extension services, and local knowledge into invasive species management strategies.</p>

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Information access and perception shifts influence community responses to invasive alien plant species management in Tanzania

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年8月3日

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  • Neema C. Mtenga,
  • Tillmann K. Buttschardt

摘要

Invasive Alien Plant Species (IAPS) pose growing ecological and socio-economic challenges by altering native biodiversity, affecting ecosystem services, and threatening local livelihoods. Understanding how local communities perceive and respond to these invasions is crucial for developing effective management strategies that integrate both ecological and social dimensions. Subsequently, this study addressed the research gap by examining local communities’ knowledge, awareness, perceptions, and attitudes toward IAPS in four villages in the Bunda and Busega Districts of Tanzania’s Lake Zone. Semi-structured household questionnaire interviews were used to assess respondents’ knowledge and experiences with IAPS. Using semi-structured household surveys complemented by regression analyses, we assessed socio-demographic determinants and the effects of information exposure. Overall, 67.5% of respondents reported awareness of invasive species, with recognition highest for Lantana camara (88%) and Eichhornia crassipes (84%). Logistic regression results showed that access to information sources was strongly associated with a higher likelihood of awareness (OR 4.23, p < 0.001) and reported observation of species (OR 2.91, p < 0.01), while most socio-demographic variables were not statistically significant predictors. Descriptive results based on respondents’ recall suggest differences between initial perceptions at the time of first encounter and current perceptions, with a higher proportion of respondents now recognising the harmful impacts of IAPS. A significant association between initial and current perceptions indicates that these differences are unlikely to be random; however, regression analyses did not detect statistically significant temporal effects between survey periods, and these patterns should be interpreted with caution. Ordered logistic regression indicated that age, gender, and information exposure were significantly associated with perception outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of access to information and lived experience in shaping community responses to biological invasions and underscore the need to integrate communication, extension services, and local knowledge into invasive species management strategies.