Eradicating invasive plant species

#GS 03 Environmental Conservation

Senna spectabilis

Senna spectabilis is a plant species belonging to the legume family (Fabaceae) in the subfamily Caesalpinioideae and is native to South and Central America.
The plant has been turned into an invasive alien species in parts of Africa such as Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda, and also in South-India.
The thick foliage of the tree prevents the growth of other indigenous tree and grass species nearby which affects the plant life in the region.
This in turn results in food shortage for the wildlife population, particularly for the herbivores.

Periyar National Park is a protected wildlife reserve located in the Pandalam Hills and Cardamom Hills in Kerala.
Two major rivers, the Pamba and the Periyar, passes through the park and are the major source of water for the region’s flora and fauna.
It was established in 1895 after the building of Mullaperiyar Dam, it was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950 and declared as Tiger Reserve in 1978.

The plan has been proposed by the Nodal Centre for Biological Invasions (NCBI) at the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI).
They have proposed a threefold approach for removing invasive species; for large trees, large saplings, and small saplings.
The large trees need to be debarked from 1.3 m above ground level downwards, including the collar part of the tree.
Once the trees start to dry up, their soil seed bank will become active which will result in a large number of plantlets starting to sprout.
The larger saplings will be uprooted using specially designed weed pullers.
Finally, the removal of small plantlets need to be done mechanically.

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