Civic agencies to clear invasive species from eco-sensitive areas

The State government has asked the agencies to start removing Prosopis juliflora from the banks of waterbodies, such as the Adyar. The Corporation is likely to get an estimate of the area covered by the invasive species in the city shortly

The Greater Chennai Corporation and other civic agencies will remove invasive species, including Prosopis juliflora, from the banks of rivers and other waterbodies.

The State government has asked the civic bodies to start removing Prosopis juliflora from the banks of waterbodies, such as the Adyar. The area of Prosopis juliflora has increased in the past few years along the banks of rivers, increasing the risk to areas where eco-restoration projects have already been implemented.

Officials of the Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust (CRRT) said the invasive species had been removed from 358 acres of Adyar Creek, which was eco-restored 10 years ago. But the area under the invasive species has expanded along the 42-km stretch of the Adyar. Removal of the plants has become very challenging in certain areas because of dense vegetation. The expert committee, constituted under the Madras High Court, has obtained estimates of some of the invasive species in the State.

According to the report, Prosopis juliflora covers an area of 56,000 hectares in the State. The GCC is likely to get an estimate of the area covered by the invasive species in the city shortly.

The impact of invasive species, such as Lantana camara, Acacia mearnsii, Senna spectabilis and Opuntia sp, are also likely to be studied in the city before the launch of other initiatives.

“The number of native species has increased from 141 to 441 in 358 acres of the Adyar Creek after the invasive species were removed. We have been clearing the invasive plants at frequent intervals in the past 10 years,” said a CRRT official.

Officials point to the absence of accurate estimates of the area covered by invasive species and the percentage cover or density of invasive plants per hectare in the city. Researchers associated with the restoration initiatives said the data could be obtained by different approaches, including remote-sensing based estimation and promotion of a mobile app by citizens associated with the conservation of biodiversity.