Plan in place to eradicate invasive plant species from Kerala’s wildlife habitat

Plan in place to eradicate invasive plant species from Kerala’s wildlife habitat

Subject: Environment

Section: Biodiversity

Context: Senna spectabilis poses a severe threat to natural forests and should be removed using a threefold approach for large trees, large saplings, and small saplings.

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• The Nodal Centre for Biological Invasions (NCBI) at the Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) has come out with a management plan to eradicate Senna spectabilis, the exotic invasive plant that is posing a severe threat to the State’s wildlife habitat.
• The management plan stipulates that there should not be an attempt to kill the trees before a detailed reforestation programme and the resources for implementing it are in place.
• This involves developing an adequate number of large-sized saplings of native trees, identification of nucleus sites where the planting is to be made, and the provision for manpower.
• Once the resources and material for landscape restoration are ready, the invasive species has to be removed using a threefold approach for large trees, large saplings, and small saplings.
• Debarking large trees:
  • The large trees need to be debarked from breast height downwards (1.3 m above ground level), including the collar part of the tree. Once done, the trees should be visited once a month to remove the new growth across the debarked area.
  • Once the trees start to dry up, their soil seed bank will become active and a large number of plantlets will sprout. Manpower should be made available to remove the sprouting plantlets. The next is the larger saplings which can be uprooted using specially designed weed pullers.
  • The third is the removal of small plantlets which need to be removed mechanically. It is important to make sure that the pulled-out saplings are dried without any contact with soi Planting of large saplings of native tree species should start along with or before the start of Senna removal.
  • The large trees would take a minimum of 18 months to completely dry up after debarking.

Senna spectabilis

• Senna spectabilis is a plant species of the legume family (Fabaceae)native to South and Central America.
• They are often grown as ornamental plants due to their bright yellow flowers that bloom during the summer months.
• They are also known as golden wonder tree, American cassia, popcorn tree, Cassia excelsa, golden shower tree or Archibald’s cassia.
• The plant has become an invasive alien species in parts of Africa such as Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda, and also in South India after it was introduced for resources such as firewood as well as to help combat deteriorating ecosystems affected by deforestation and desertification.
• Currently,  spectabilis is overtaking native tree species of forestry ecosystems worldwide because of its ability to grow quickly.