Speaking on the second day of the NilgiriScapes convention in Udhagamandalam, throughout a panel dialogue involving panorama ecologist Arundhati Das and restoration ecologists Godwin Vasanth Bosco and Mounthees Kuttan on invasive species within the Nilgiris, Mr. Gowtham estimated that near 25,000 hectares of the Nilgiris forest division had been impacted by invasive and unique species of flora.
“This is a historic downside, because the dispersal and invasion price of those species, together with Acacia mearnsii, Solanum mauritanum, cestrum, Lantana camara, Scotch broom and gorse, in addition to others, pose an enormous problem in not simply being faraway from the panorama, but additionally in restoring grasslands and Shola ecosystems,” stated Mr. Gowtham.
Pointing to 300 acres that had been recognized within the higher Nilgiris, the place black wattle in its pre-flowering section is being eliminated, Mr. Gowtham stated the division had thus far succeeded in eradicating 650 hectares of the invasive species throughout the division within the final three years.
However, he stated that whereas wattle removing was persevering with at a good tempo, that restoration was an enormous problem, as areas which are cleared of invasive, commercially-valuable timber equivalent to wattle, secondary invasive species equivalent to cestrum had been transferring into cleared areas and had been stopping native ecosystems from re-establishing.
“Post-removal, after each monsoon, we see an enormous quantity of secondary invasion by cestrum, scotch broom and gorse and different species,” he stated. Mr. Gowtham stated that cestrum was even invading Shola forests, and that the intensification of such incursions have solely elevated since he took cost as DFO during the last three years.
“While the present Shola bushes themselves may not be affected by this menace, regeneration of the Sholas will probably be affected if the unfold of cestrum is left unchecked,” he stated.
The DFO stated that the division’s technique was to have a steady system of eradicating invasive species over a time period to permit for native flora to re-establish themselves in cleared areas.
Arundhati Das, a panorama ecologist who studied invasive crops and Shola tree communities within the higher Nilgiris, stated that the Shola forests surrounded by grasslands had a unique stand construction and species domination patterns when in comparison with Shola patches surrounded by tea estates, the place Cestrum invasion was extra probably and extra intense. Ms. Das, who stated that she revisited her sampling websites after a 12-year-period, stated that the speed of invasion has solely elevated over the interval.
Godwin Vasanth Bosco, stated that eradicating invasive and unique bushes alone doesn’t essentially assist regenerate wholesome grasslands. He stated that in areas the place wattle is eliminated, that a number of unpalatable species of grass, equivalent to Vulipa myuros and Eragrostis nigra takeover, resulting in the phantasm of restored grasslands.
“Restoration is far more complicated than eradicating a single species, and an enormous quantity of labor must be executed to revive wholesome grasslands,” he added, advocating for broader focused restoration efforts in ecologically-fragile landscapes equivalent to reserved forests and nationwide parks to maintain out unique, invasive species from locations within the higher Nilgiris equivalent to Mukurthi National Park, which had been nonetheless comparatively freed from invasive species.
Published – August 23, 2025 01:35 pm IST
