Geography & BiodiversityImportant2025-12-07

Nature Sustainability Report on Invasive Plants

Why focus: GS3 Environment. Lantana and Prosopis are UPSC trap favorites. High probability for species-in-news How-Many-Correct questions.

In News

What Happened

A landmark study published in Nature Sustainability in December 2025 revealed that invasive alien plants are spreading across India's natural areas at an alarming rate of 15,500 sq km annually. Species such as Lantana camara and Prosopis juliflora now dominate nearly two-thirds of the country's natural ecosystems. In response to this crisis, Tamil Nadu has accelerated a large-scale eradication program targeting invasive species like Senna spectabilis.

Why It Matters

This rapid ecological shift suppresses native vegetation, directly depleting food sources for wild herbivores and ultimately threatening apex predators like tigers. It also creates extreme socio-economic risks by degrading pastoral lands and agricultural areas, exposing millions of rural people to fodder and fuelwood shortages.

Background

History & Context

Many of these plants were introduced historically for specific purposes; for example, Lantana camara was brought by the British as an ornamental plant, and Prosopis juliflora was planted in the mid-20th century to prevent desertification. Over decades, these species escaped cultivation and proliferated unmonitored, aided by climate change and land-use shifts. Acknowledging this escalating threat, Tamil Nadu pioneered India's first State Policy for Invasive Plant Eradication and Restoration (PIPER), setting a strict March 2026 deadline to completely remove Senna spectabilis from key forest divisions like the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

What Changed

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BEFORE: Invasive species management was largely sporadic, allowing plants like Senna spectabilis to heavily infest the Western Ghats and form dense monocultures. NOW: Tamil Nadu is executing a systematic, time-bound eradication drive, actively partnering with paper mills to convert the removed invasive biomass into eco-friendly paper pulp.
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BEFORE: Prosopis juliflora was actively promoted in arid states like Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu to stabilize sandy soils and act as a bio-shield. NOW: It is scientifically recognized as an aggressive invader that destroys pastoral ecosystems, prompting massive, state-funded uprooting efforts to recover native grasslands.
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BEFORE: Tiger reserves like Bandipur and Kanha maintained a healthy balance of native grasses and shrubs, supporting robust herbivore populations. NOW: Over 1 lakh sq km of tiger habitats are choked by unpalatable weeds like Lantana camara, which starves herbivores and forces them into human settlements, exacerbating human-wildlife conflict.

Prelims Angle

NCERT Connection

This event is a real-world application of 'Alien species invasions', which is listed as one of the 'Evil Quartet' drivers of biodiversity loss in Class 12 Biology Chapter 15 (Biodiversity and Conservation). The proliferation of Lantana and Prosopis perfectly illustrates how non-native species, when introduced intentionally or accidentally, turn invasive and cause the decline of indigenous flora.

Practice Questions

Q1

With Reference To

With reference to the ecological impact of invasive plant species in India, consider the following statements: 1. Prosopis juliflora was originally introduced in India to prevent desertification but has now become highly invasive in arid and semi-arid regions. 2. The spread of Lantana camara in tiger reserves increases the long-term carrying capacity of the habitat by providing highly nutritious fodder for native herbivores. 3. Tamil Nadu's PIPER initiative is India's first state policy aimed at the systematic eradication of invasive alien plants like Senna spectabilis. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

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