Over 200 hectares of invasive weeds to be cleared from MTR this year

UDHAGAMANDALAM

This year, the Forest Department plans to remove three major invasive weeds that have taken over large swathes of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR).

Invasive shrubs like Lantana camara, which is estimated to have taken over around 40% of the tiger reserve, especially in the core area, as well as trees such as Prosopis juliflora and Senna spectabilis, are to be removed from parts of the reserve, as the Forest Department continues its battle against the invasive plants in the reserve.

Forest Department officials said Prosopis juliflora has spread over a vast area of Thengumarahada in the buffer zone of the reserve, while Senna spectabilis has spread over the last decade in the core as well as buffer zones. “All the three species limit the food availability for ungulates. Apart from impacting biodiversity, the continued spread of the plants could also limit the reserve’s ability to support large herbivores such as deer, Indian gaur and elephants with food. As a consequence, these invasive species could have far-reaching consequences for also carnivores such as tigers, leopards and Asiatic wild dogs, while impacting scavengers like the threatened striped hyena and the critically endangered species of vultures that inhabit the reserve,” said an official.

MTR Field Director D. Venkatesh said the Forest Department planned to remove around 180 hectares of Lantana camara this year. Around 350 hectares had been cleared in previous years. Meanwhile, a portion of Senna spectabilis, measuring around 25 acres, will also be cleared. The species has reportedly spread over an area of 1,500 hectares in total, Mr. Venkatesh said.