India and Management of its Invasive Species

In the 19th century, the British introduced Lantana camara, an ornamental shrub native to Central and South America, to India.

Over the years, it has spread across much of India, including multiple forest landscapes, becoming a major threat to habitats across the country’s tiger reserves.

Lantana poses a major ecological threat because it chokes native plants by releasing toxins into the soil and forms dense bushes that block food for wild animals, such as chital, sambar and gaur, which form the primary prey base for tigers.

Native to South America, Water hyacinth (Pontederia crassipes) is another invasive species in India. It forms thick, dense floating mats that stop light from reaching native underwater aquatic life.

India is home to many such invasive alien species that disrupt local ecosystems, choke water bodies, and harm native wildlife. These foreign plants spread rapidly because they lack natural predators in their new environment. 

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and its line institutions actively identify and monitor invasive species in India. 

For identification of invasive species, a separate album of 45 major invasive species has been prepared by the Forest Survey of India (FSI). According to FSI, invasive plants occur from very dense to moderate-to-dense and scanty in Reserved Forest Areas.

Botanical Survey of India (BSI) has recently prepared and submitted a comprehensive, state-wise inventory of potential invasive species spreading across forest and non-forest areas to the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) to facilitate preparation of the National Management Plan of Invasive Species. 

The management and removal of invasive plant species and cultivation of indigenous plant species in Reserved Forests and other protected forest areas are undertaken by the respective State Governments/Union Territory Administrations and concerned agencies, in accordance with local requirements and the provisions of the approved forest and wildlife management plans. 

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change promotes conservation, regeneration and enrichment of indigenous/native tree species through sustainable forest management practices.

The National Forest Policy, 1988 envisages maintaining environmental stability, restoring ecological balance, and increasing forest/tree cover through afforestation and regeneration using native/indigenous species.

Further, the National Working Plan Code, 2023 provides for ecosystem-based forest management, including invasive species management, restoration of degraded forest landscapes, soil and moisture conservation measures, watershed management and preference for site-specific indigenous/native species in regeneration and restoration activities, taking into account local ecological conditions.

These measures help improve soil moisture, groundwater recharge, water retention, and overall ecosystem resilience.