Context: A decade-long initiative in Madhya Pradesh to reclaim land overrun by lantana helps residents restart agriculture and restore native biodiversity.

Background

• It was introduced in the country as an ornamental plant by the British in the 1800s, and has since spread over 574,186 sq km, covering 50 per cent of the country’s “natural areas”, according to an October 2023 study in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

• A 2020 estimate by researchers, published in the journal Global Ecology and Conservation, shows that the plant occupies 40 per cent of forests (over 154,800 sq km), including tiger reserves. A 2019 review paper published in Botanical Reviewstates that lantana has also invaded most pasture lands (132,000 sq km) in the country.

About Lantana

• Lantana is a heavily branched shrub that can grow as compact clumps, dense thickets and as a scrambling and climbing vine.

• Lantana is one of the world’s ten worst invasive species and a species of high concern for India.

• It is an invasive species that is not native to India which was introduced in the country as an ornamental plant by the British.

• It is native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa but exist as an introduced species in numerous areas, especially in the Australian-Pacific region, South and North-eastern part of India.

• The stems are square with small, recurved prickles along the edges.

• Leaves grow opposite one another along the stem.

• Many lantana forms are poisonous to livestock.

• Toxic components – In lantana include the triterpene acids, lantadene A (rehmannic acid), lantadene B and their reduced forms.

• Keeping lantana at bay requires consistent management.

• Grazon Extra – Is a chemical that is best used for elimination of lanatana.

• Best time to treat – Is from December through to April, although if conditions allow treatment can be as early as October or as late as July.

• Lantana should be sprayed when the plant is actively growing. This usually occurs between December and April.

Key Impact of Lantana

• It competes with native plants for space and resources and also alters the nutrient cycle in the soil.

• This invasion has resulted in the scarcity of native forage plants for wild herbivores. If eaten, the leaves can induce allergies on the muzzles of animals. In some cases, extensive feeding on lantana has led to diarrhoea, liver failure and even the animal’s death.