South African applied ecologist and emeritus professor at Stellenbosch University, linked to the Centre for Invasion Biology, whose work on invasive alien plants, fire and water spans more than four decades. Brian van Wilgen’s 1995 modeling of water use by alien trees at the CSIR led to the Working for Water programme.
Contribution
Van Wilgen studied forestry at Stellenbosch University and took his MSc (1980) and PhD (1985) in botany at the University of Cape Town; Stellenbosch awarded him a DSc in 2008. He worked at the South African Forestry Research Institute at Jonkershoek from 1974 and, after the institute was absorbed into the CSIR, at the CSIR’s Stellenbosch campus until 2013, when he took up a professorship at Stellenbosch.
His research covers the fire ecology of fynbos, grassland and savanna; the population dynamics, water use, biological control and economics of invasive plants; and the translation of research into environmental policy, including the valuation of ecosystem services. Working for Water, the programme his modeling helped launch, clears invasive plants and creates employment. He has authored or co-authored more than 250 publications and received the National Research Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022.
His 2008 paper with colleagues estimated invasive-related runoff reductions in the fynbos and grassland biomes at levels significant to national water security. The wiki cites it as an anchor reference for the defensible water claim on Bioprecipitation.
Selected works
- Van Wilgen, B.W., Cowling, R.M. & Burgers, C.J. (1996). “Valuation of ecosystem services: a case study from South African fynbos ecosystems.” BioScience, 46(3), 184-189.
- Van Wilgen, B.W. et al. (2008). “The economic consequences of alien plant invasions: examples of impacts and approaches to sustainable management in South Africa.” Journal of Environmental Management.
- Van Wilgen, B.W., Measey, J., Richardson, D.M., Wilson, J.R. & Zengeya, T.A., eds. (2020). Biological Invasions in South Africa. Springer.
Related pages
Sources
- Van Wilgen, B.W. et al. (2008). The economic consequences of alien plant invasions
- Member profile, Academy of Science of South Africa
- Centre for Invasion Biology, NRF Lifetime Achievement Award (2022)
Provenance
Written 23 October 2026 from the people named on Bioprecipitation, using public institutional profiles and published work. Public roles and publications only.