Invasive Species and Food Crisis in Karnataka’s Western Ghats | 17 Jan 2024

Invasive plants such as Lantana, Prosopis and Chromolaena have reduced the availability of food and shelter for herbivores, which in turn affects the carnivores that depend on them in Karnataka’s Western Ghats.
- An invasive species refers to a non-native species that, when introduced to a new environment, exhibits aggressive growth and spreads rapidly, often causing harm to the native ecosystem.
Invasive plants can outcompete and displace native vegetation, disrupt ecological balance and the movement and migration of animals.
Several rainforest complexes, including Nagarahole, Anshi National Park, Kudremukh National Park and Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, are suffering from invasive species.