New Delhi, Sept. 15 -- Invasive plant species are increasingly altering ecosystems and disrupting human-nature relationships, particularly by exacerbating human-wildlife conflicts across tropical regions including India, according to a new global study led by researchers from Aarhus University, Denmark.
Take the case of Lantana camara. An invasive alien species introduced decades ago as an ornamental plant in India now infests approximately 30 million hectares across India, threatening biodiversity and the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities, said the researchers.
They pointed to the Western Ghats in India as a stark example, where the spread of Lantana in the last century forced the Soliga tribal community to abandon their tradit...