Clearing of invasive creeper Mucuna bracteata begins in Kanniyakumari district

Forest Department and NGO collaborate to remove invasive Mucuna bracteata from rubber plantations in Kanniyakumari district, protecting biodiversity.

The Forest Department, along with an NGO from Kanniyakumari, is engaged in a pilot project to remove an invasive cover crop called Mucuna bracteata from rubber plantations and forest areas in the district.

Mucuna bracteata, a leguminous vine, was introduced to rubber plantations as a weed protectant and nitrogen regulator valued for its drought tolerance. However, in Kanniyakumari district, the crop has started to spread across the plantations. Its proliferation now extends to parts of the Western Ghats in the district including places such as Kaliyal, Kadayalumoodu, Aarukani and Kodayar and Kulasekaram.

Although the creeper was introduced with the intention of protecting the rubber trees, it has become a threat as it has started to overpower and cover the trees. In light of the seriousness of the threat posed by the invasive creeper, the forest department in collaboration with Kanniyakumari Nature Foundation has launched efforts to clear it from Kilamalai area in Kodayar region with the help of local communities.

Vinodh Sadhasivan from Kanniyakumari Nature Foundation says the creeper has begun to overtake large tracts of Kodayar region and has even climbed over native trees, affecting their growth. Most of the regions adjoin the buffer zone of Kalakkad-Mundanthurai tiger reserve, announced as a critical tiger habitat. “In order to protect the biodiversity of the region and to maintain its natural habitation and vegetation, we have taken the initiative..”

“While other invasive plants such as Lantana and Parthenium are well-known, Mucuna bracteata is slowly but surely causing extensive damage to one of the thriving ecosystems in the country,” he adds.

The removal process is a multi-year project, and saplings of bamboo and other native trees have been planted in the cleared areas, he further says.

“The invasive species is particularly widespread in the rainforest of Kanniyakumari, where the abandoned rubber plantation serves as its primary habitat,” says District Forest Officer E. Prashanth.