Context:

• In an effort to revive forest patches with natives plant species, Forest Department is currently carrying out removal of invasive plant species in Sirumugai range in Coimbatore.

Invasive plants:

• Invasive plants like Prosopis juliflora (seemai karuvelam) and Lantana camara (Unni chedi) are removed from the backwater area of Bhavani dam in Sirumugai.
• The special drive is expected to improve the backwater area where large number of herbivorous animals graze.
• Lantana camara is the single largest invasive plant species in the forests of Tamil Nadu. Invasive plants are removed from 50 to 100 hectares of forest land a year in Coimbatore.
• Lantana camara has been posing threat to native plants and shrubs as they area spreading fast in forests. As berries of the shrub are favourite feed for birds, their droppings also aids seed distribution in the forests.
• The invasive plants were removed manually as well as with the help of earthmovers as even roots left in the ground may help it regrow. Prosopis juliflora, a good firewood, removed from the forests are later sold.
• Golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha) and Opuntia ficus-indica, a species of cactus, are also spreading fast in the forests of Tamil Nadu. Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius) is another invasive plant species that is spreading fast in the grasslands of the Nilgiris.

Source:TH