Alien Invasion Altering Forest Habitat, Fueling Man-Wildlife Conflict

A massive tree plantation drive marked World Environment Day, aiming to reduce carbon footprints and address the challenges of climate change. However, the decline in the ecological health of existing forests has largely been neglected.

- Manoj Viswanathan @Kochi

According to a 2023 study, around 66% of Indian forests have been invaded by alien invasive species, destroying natural vegetation and altering forest habitats. Of the 225 invasive plant species reported from India, 11 are on the IUCN list of the 100 worst invasive species.

Lantana camara, one of the world's worst invasive species, has spread rapidly in India's forests. Reports indicate the plant has spread over 1.3 crore hectares of the Western Ghats, destroying grasslands and driving herbivores to human habitations. In the Nilgiris Biosphere, Senna spectabilis has proliferated. Introduced by the Kerala Forest Department in 1986 as shade trees along the Muthanga forest road, it has spread over 123 sq km of the Wayanad sanctuary in four decades and is now spreading rapidly in the reserve forests of Bandipur, Bhadra, and Mudumalai.

Scientists have identified 225 species of exotic invasive plant species destroying habitats in India; 86 have been recorded in Kerala's forests. The most invasive are