It’s hard to believe that one of the biggest threats to a tiger’s survival could come from a small, beautiful flower. Yet, Lantana camara , a tropical American shrub, has invaded over 40% of India’s tiger range, with the Shivalik hills, Central India, and the Southern Western Ghats being the worst affected. Introduced by the British in the 1800s as an ornamental plant from Latin America, the weed quickly spread across the country.
By 2020, it was estimated to occupy more than 40% of India’s tiger habitats. Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) in the Nilgiris, home to more than 100 tigers, has also suffered from Lantana invasion, which has led to a decline in vegetation and green patches in its core and buffer zones. That’s when the question arose: Is MTR a dying forest? TN forest department’s Lantana weed eradication drive helped restore the dying Mudumalai reserve and while doing so reduced human-wildlife conflicts But then, in the last year, there has been a sudden transformation.
Shoots of indigenous species began sprouting across the reserve, and the forest seems to be experiencing a complete regeneration of vegetation. Wildlife officials say the recovery is due to concerted efforts to remove the invasive weeds, which helped restore the ecosystem. The MTR comprises 32,100 hectares of core zone across six ranges, with an additional 36,700 hectares in the buffer zone spread over four ranges.
Faced with a threat to the ecosystem, invasive and exotic species such as Lant.