Invasions of Alien Plant Species in Nepal

Shrestha, Bharat Babu; Shrestha, Krishna K.

doi:10.1002/9781119607045.ch20

Cited by 29 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…If the sale and propagation of such species can be halted before they become intractably invasive, substantial future costs for control will be avoided. This approach would invoke the precautionary principle and treat alien species with a high risk of invasiveness as 'guilty until proven innocent' rather than waiting until it is certain that they have become invasive, by which time it is usually too late to eradicate them (Shrestha and Shrestha 2021).…”

Section: Policy and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calling time on alien plantscapes

Gillman¹,

Bollard²,

Leuzinger³

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Both urban and rural environments around the globe have become dominated by alien plant species to the extent that plantscapes from one region or country have become difficult to distinguish from many others. This process of plant community homogenisation comes at a cost to cultural identity and undermines people’s sense of place. Although invasive alien plant species have received considerable attention in recent decades, issues with non-invasive alien plant species have largely been ignored, and yet they contribute significantly to biotic homogeneity and impose an ever accumulating invasion debt: a debt that increases in proportion with their population sizes. By contrast, an abundance of native species in the places where people live is important for strengthening commitment to biodiversity conservation. Is there therefore sufficient evidence of harm from increasing numbers of non-invasive alien plants to justify local and central governments introducing measures to substantially reduce the proportion of non-invasive aliens in both urban and rural environments?

show abstract

Section: Policy and Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Calling time on alien plantscapes

Gillman¹,

Bollard²,

Leuzinger³

2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The invasive alien plant species (IAPS) are capable to change native species diversity, composition, growth and development, and alter soil qualities (Richardson & Van Wilgen 2004, Vilà et al 2011, Tererai et al 2013. In Nepal, more than two dozen of species are recognized as the problematic IAPS (Shrestha & Shrestha 2021) and some of them (Lantana camara, Mikania micrantha, Chromolaena odorata and Eichhornia crassipes) are among the 100 world's worst invasive alien species (Lowe et al, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant communities and alien invasion in Kalika community forest, Kailai district, Sudurpashchim Province, Nepal

et al. 2023

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

One of the major threats to native biological diversity is caused by invasive alien plant species (IAPS). As the documentation of plant communities and alien plant invasion in Far-west Nepal is very scarce, this study was carried out in the Kalika community forest of Kailali district, Sudurpaschim Province, Nepal. The aim of the study was to identify plant communities and the status of IAPS in the forest. A total of 43 plots (size 10 m × 10 m) were sampled. Plant communities were distinguished based on the Sorenson similarity index and cluster dendrogram. Cover of the tree canopy and IAPS was measured. A total of 101 species of vascular plants were recorded from five types of plant communities in the forest. The communities were named as (i) Buchanania latifolia-Terminalia alata community (ii) Casearia glomerata-Mallotus philippensis community (iii) Shorea robusta-Terminalia alata community (iv) Adina cordifolia-Mallotus philippensis community (v) Terminalia-Shorea-Trewia mixed community. These communities were invaded by invasive Ageratum houstonianum, A. conyzoides, Bidens pilosa, Cassia tora, and Argemone mexicana. A high cover of IAPS was found in Terminalia-Shorea-Trewia mixed community. The cover of IAPS was low under the high tree canopy. Control and management of IAPS should be done to protect the native plant communities in the forest for reducing disturbance to maintain tree canopies. It is hoped to be an effective method to reduce alien plant invasions.

show abstract

“…The study of IAPS in Nepal started fi ve decades ago (BANERJI, 1958) and a total of 166 IAPS are reported (TIWARI, 2005;TIMSINA et al, 2011;SHRESTHA, 2016). Over the years, several studies have shown that IAPS increase aggressively (SIWAKOTI et al, 2016;SHRESTHA et al, 2018) and have negative impacts in grassland, farmland and forest as soil properties are changed, and native plant species are displaced (BARAL et al, 2017;SHRESTHA et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution of invasive plants and their association with wild ungulates in Barandabhar Corridor Forest, Nepal

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Invasive and alien plant species (IAPS) are considered as major threats to native biodiversity because IAPS alter ecosystem structure and their functions. We assessed the association of four major IAPS (Mikania micrantha, Chromolaena odorata, Lantana camara, and Parthenium hysterophorus) and the abundance of wild ungulates in Barandabhar Corridor Forest (BCF), Chitwan, Nepal. We collected data on the presence of wild ungulates in IAPS invaded habitats through direct observation and sign surveys. Our study showed that the cover of M. micrantha was significantly high in Sal forest (Prominence value PV = 73.23) followed by riverine forest (PV = 40.5) and grassland (PV = 37.7) whereas P. hysterophorus was high in grasslands (PV = 22.9). Similarly, C. odorata was significantly high in Sal forest (PV =141.6%), and L. camara was high in mixed forest (PV = 22.6). It was found that there was a significant negative association of IAPS (p = 0.002) with wild ungulates. The abundances of deer and wild pigs were more in the buffer zone than in the non-buffer zone. The abundance of deer decreased with increasing cover of C. odorata, M. micrantha, and P. hysterophorus (p = 0.002). Similarly, the abundance of wild pigs decreased with increasing cover of M. micrantha and L. camara. IAPS were not uniformly distributed in different habitats and abundances of wild ungulates were less in IAPS invaded habitats. Hence, it is important to initiate management plans to control IAPS spread to avoid their negative impacts on wild ungulate population such as deer and wild pigs.

show abstract

Invasions of Alien Plant Species in Nepal

Cited by 29 publications

References 31 publications

Calling time on alien plantscapes

Calling time on alien plantscapes

Plant communities and alien invasion in Kalika community forest, Kailai district, Sudurpashchim Province, Nepal

Distribution of invasive plants and their association with wild ungulates in Barandabhar Corridor Forest, Nepal

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About