Three centuries of managing introduced conifers in South Africa: Benefits, impacts, changing perceptions and conflict resolution

► We review the benefits and negative impacts of conifer introductions to South Africa. ► Conifer-based forestry provides employment and the trees have amenity value. ► Conifers are also invasive and affect water supplies and biodiversity negatively. ► Novel approaches to manage valuable but invasive species have been developed. ► Implementing critical refinements to these approaches will require political courage.