Anthropogenic influences on parasitoid wasps' biocontrol of invasive insect pest species in Africa.

Sustainable agriculture is crucial to ensuring food and nutritional security and improving livelihoods of millions across Africa. However, agricultural production is constrained by native and invasive pests. Indiscriminate insecticide use is often the first line of action to manage these pests, harming human and animal health, and impacting biodiversity. Thus, shifting to more ecologically sustainable alternatives is key to biodiversity conservation and sustainable agriculture. Biological control is a core component of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, and natural enemies, like parasitoid wasps, are considered one of the most environmentally sustainable means of managing pests. However, the Anthropocene plays a significant role in the success and sustainability of this approach. Therefore, here, we provide a look at the influence of anthropological activities, the scope of the application of parasitoids as biocontrol agents of invasive pests, and the current trends in parasitoid utilization in Africa.