House Crow (Corvus splendens) Eradication Measures from eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Within the Province of KwaZulu-Natal, in South Africa, eThekwini Municipality intends to implement a Project aimed at eradicating the House Crow (Corvus splendens) from its jurisdiction. In terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), Act 10 of 2004, the species is listed as a Category 1a under the Invasive Alien Species (IAS) Regulations gazetted in July 2014 and as such requires immediate eradication efforts. The species belongs to a cosmopolitan family Corvidae, which has well over 120 species including oscine passerine birds such as crows, ravens, magpies, rooks, treepies etc. In line with legislation, eThekwini Municipality has implemented a number of large-scale programmes and projects aimed at controlling invasive alien species. In achieving this, the municipality has a strong belief in forming partnerships with relevant stakeholders, including academic institutions, neighboring municipalities, conservation authorities, conservancies, non-profit organizations, the private sector, provincial and national government departments etc.