Avifaunal Diversity of Barandabhar Corridor Forest, Chitwan, Nepal

The main aim of the study was to analyze the avifaunal diversity of Chitwan, Nepal. The avifaunal diversity at six transects of Barandabhar Corridor Forest in Chitwan district was carried out during two visits (autumn and spring) in 2020-2021. The line transect method was used to cover most of the study area. In total, 125 species of birds representing 18 orders and 59 families were recorded. The highest number of bird species i.e. (56) 44.8% were represented by order Passeriformes along with 34 families. The highest number of species was found in family Picidae (9) 7.2% followed by Cuculidae (8) 6.4% and least number (1) 0.8% in other 31 families. The seasonal status of species was Autumn (84) and Spring (116). The relative abundance of species was Very Common (60), Common (40), Uncommon (16), and Rare (9). According to the National Red List of Nepal’s Birds, 110 species were in the Least Concern category, eight species were in the Near Threatened category, six species were in the Vulnerable category and one species was in the Critically Endangered category. It was noted that major threats to the birds were illegal fishing, noise pollution, firewood collection, illegal cattle grazing, and invasive alien plant species. One Globally Threatened Bird Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus was also noted.

Invasive alien plants in Poland – the state of research and the use of the results in practice

The participation of species of alien origin in the flora of individual regions of the world is increasing. A large proportion of these species pose a threat to biodiversity. Issues of the dynamics of changes in the flora and the scale and pace of the processes, with particular emphasis on the biology, ecology, chorology, and genetic variability of the populations of plants of alien origin, including those alien species which are invasive, have been the subject of many years of research in this field in Poland. The present study is an overview of the state of research on invasive plant species in Poland, including the main results of the basic and applied research which have provided the basis for (i) the preparation of a list of invasive plant species for Poland; (ii) assessing the degree of invasiveness of the species analysed, in accordance with the adoption of criteria and the development of methodological solutions. In this work, a new version of the list of invasive plant species has been prepared on the basis of earlier studies, combining theoretical and practical aspects of definition, and it is compared with the list of invasive alien plant species considered to constitute a threat to the EU and Poland as a member country. The categorization (risk assessment) of invasive alien species along with the identification of the most endangered types of natural habitats is often used in practice in the management of invasive plants in Poland. The results of our research have fed into the formulation of legal regulations at the global and regional levels.

Ecological risk assessment of potentially invasive alien plant species in Cibodas Biosphere Reserve, West Java, Indonesia

More than 80 potentially invasive plant species have spread throughout the Cibodas Biosphere Reserve, Indonesia. Recently, research has shown that the surrounding community utilizes more than 50% of these species. Although this utilization provides social and economic benefits, it threatens the Cibodas Biosphere Reserve core zone ecologically. Therefore, this study conducted a risk assessment to determine the invasiveness level of utilized plant species. The evaluation was performed using Hawaii and Pacific Weed Risk Assessment (WRA) scheme. The results show that almost all the potentially invasive plant species are high risk, with scores ranging from 10 to 26, except for Fragaria vesca and Mentha arvensis. The highest WRA score was obtained for Lantana camara and followed by Austroeupatorium inulifolium, Cobaea scandens, Mikania cordata, Sonchus asper, Clidemia hirta, Piper aduncum, Sonchus arvensis, Cestrum aurantiacum, Dracaena fragrans, Passiflora ligularis, Podachaenium eminens, Thunbergia coccinea, and Wedelia trilobata. As most of these species were herbaceous plants obtained from cultivated areas, the risk of invasion into the core zone is low. Based on the findings, the recommended management option to control these species is harvesting, accompanied by containment. Through this method, the community can continue to use the species while controlling the population, thereby limiting their spread.

Invasive alien plant species distributed as weeds in arable land in Bulgaria

26 species of invasive alien plant species enter the arable land in Bulgaria as weeds. Some of these species are already causing economic damage and are included in the list of the 100 most economically important weeds. For others, it is only a matter of time before they are included in this list. Possessing a complex of qualities, they spread quickly and aggressively, occupying new areas and settling permanently in them. As artificial habitats in which there is no permanent vegetation, arable land is one of the easiest terrains to invade. The study examines the biological characteristics that determine the invasive nature of this group of plants, their origin, distribution routes, weed crops and control measures that can be taken. Particular attention shall be paid to the additional effects that these species may have on human health, on cultivated crops and on natural habitats located in the neighborhood.

Floristics and Diversity of Invasive Alien Plant Species in Humbo District, South Ethiopia

Deliberate and unintentional introduction of invasive alien plant species on native biodiversity by aid agencies and other bodies directly or indirectly are being a series of problems on the economy, ecology, politics, and health of life on earth. Identifying and compiling floristics and the status of invasive alien species and identifying which have viable populations are necessary to manage the ecosystems. The present study is therefore intended to provide information for concerned bodies on the area which needs management priority computing the composition, structure, and diversity of invasive alien plants. A field assessment was conducted to determine the distribution and heterogeneity of invasive alien plant species, and then, six kebeles were chosen and transact lines were laid using a purposeful sampling technique. The vegetation and environment data were collected from farmland, grazing land, fallow land, and road sides using 95 subquadrats (5 m × 5 m) set in the center and corner of 19 main quadrats (20 m × 20 m). The voucher specimens collected were taken to the Herbarium of Ethiopia (ETH) for taxonomic identification and future reference. The frequency and density of floristics data were analyzed using MS Excel version 2010, and species diversity was calculated using Shannon (H′), Simpson (D), and evenness (E) indices. Among 35 alien plant species invading natural vegetation in Ethiopia, 25 alien plant species were found in the Humbo district of the Wolaita zone. The densest invasive alien plant species in the area were Parthenium hysterophorus consisting of 15197 individuals/ha, followed by Richardia scabra consisting of 11908 individuals/ha, Xanthium strumarium consisting of 7292 individuals/ha, and Ocimum forskolei consisting of 6280 individuals/ha. The highest species diversity was computed in fallow land (H′ = 2.369), which is followed by farmland (H′ = 1.627) and grazing land (H′ = 1.419). The higher the density of the invasive alien species, the higher the ability to change the structure and diversity of native species of the area results in a decrease in the function and services of the ecosystem. Therefore, management methods must prioritize land types that had the highest diversity of invasive alien species.

Impact of invasive alien plant species, Lantana camara, on the species composition, richness and evenness of invaded plant communities in Sidama, Gamogofa and Gedio Zones, Ethiopia

Invasive alien species represent one of the major threats to biodiversity and all economic sectors. Lantana camara has been ranked as the highest impacting invasive plant species in the study areas. However, its impact on diversity and composition of invaded plant communities has not been well studied. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the impact of Lantana camara on species diversity and composition of invaded plant communities in the study areas. A total of 120, 10m X 10m plots were sampled so as to examine its effects of invasions on the species diversity and composition of invaded communities. A total of 109 species were found in the non-invaded areas as compared to 56 in the invaded areas. The number of species decreased by 48.6% in Lantana camara invaded areas as compared to the control. The mean evenness values of the entire invaded sampled study site and that of the control were 0.24 and 0.81 respectively. Thus, the heterogeneity of the invaded study sites was reduced by 57%. The number of plant families was 44 in the control areas in contrast to only 30 in the invaded areas. The number of plant families decreased by 31.8% in the invaded areas as compared to the control. Therefore, it was noted that Lantana camara has a serious impact on plant diversity hence the finding calls for an urgent management and control strategy against the spread of Lantana camara so as to save the ongoing threat to biodiversity.

How Effective Are the Protected Areas of the Natura 2000 Network in Halting Biological Invasions? A Case Study in Greece

Invasive alien plant species represent an important threat to various protected areas of the world, and this threat expected to be further enhanced due to climate change. This is also the case for the most important network of protected areas in Europe, the Natura 2000 network. In the current study we evaluated the distribution pattern of alien plant taxa across selected continental and insular Natura 2000 sites in Greece and their potential spread 15 years since first being recorded in the field. A total of seventy-three naturalized plant taxa were recorded in the 159 sites under study. At the site level and regardless of the habitat group, the ratio of invaded areas increased between the two monitoring campaigns. An increase in the ratio of invaded plots was also detected for all habitat groups, except for grassland and riparian—wetland habitats. Precipitation during the dry quarter of the year was the factor that mainly controlled the occurrence and spread of alien plant taxa regardless of the site and habitat group. It is reasonable to say that the characterization of an area as protected may not be sufficient without having implemented the proper practices for halting biological invasions.

Invasive Alien Plants in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review and Synthesis of Their Insecticidal Activities

Despite the cornucopia of agricultural, economic and ecological ramifications of invasive alien plant species (IAPs) in sub-Saharan Africa, studies on their potential use as bio-insecticides have not received adequate attention compared to the burgeoning plethora of literature on their use in ethnomedicine. In the current study, we review the existing, but scattered literature on the insecticidal activity of different parts of some IAPs; specifically those invasive in sub-Saharan Africa but with published literature from Africa and elsewhere. From our literature survey, we found that 69 studies from four continents (Africa, Asia, North America and South America) reported the insecticidal activity of 23 plant species from 13 families (Asteraceae = 6 species; Solanaceae = 3 species; Apocynacee, Fabaceae and Euphorbiaceae 2 species each; Araceae, Bignoniaceae, Chenopodiaceae, Meliaceae, Mimosaceae, Myrtaceae, Papaveraceae, and Verbenaceae = 1 species each) that are invasive in, and alien to Africa. The highest number of published case studies were from India (n = 19) and Nigeria (n = 15). We found that varying concentrations of extracts or powders from different plant parts caused 50–100% mortality against a myriad of insect pests of agriculture and environmental importance. Our review discussed the prospects for exploiting IAPs as pesticidal plants in African countries especially among resource-poor small-holder farmers and locals to improve agricultural productivity and livelihoods. Finally, we highlighted safety concerns and challenges of using IAPs as bio-insecticides in Africa and formulates appropriate recommendations for future research.