Centre to document, research & control invasive species

COIMBATORE: The centre for sustainable future at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham here has been selected by the union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) to set up an environmental information system (Envis) centre on invasive alien species.
The centre would collect, document and disseminate information on invasive species threatening the biodiversity of the region and other parts of the country.It would also conduct extension activities such as involving local communities to make value-added products using invasive plant species, said representatives of the centre.
The centre for sustainable future is already working on engaging local communities to make value-added products from invasive plant species. It had trained members of the Irula tribe at Seengapathi, a tribal settlement in Boluvampatti forest range, to make furniture using invasive species Lantana camara and sell it.
The scope of work would widen after the Envis centre is set up, said Maya Mahajan, associate professor at the university and co-ordinator of the centre for sustainable future. “The first-level work under the Envis centre would be to collect information on invasive species. We would develop an online repository of information about both plant and animal invasive species in the country,” she said.
The centre would also research methods to control invasive species and find the species suitable to make value-added products. “We would conduct survey of invasive species in Coimbatore, Nilgiris and states such as Kerala and Karnataka. We will focus on Lantana camara, Chromolaena odorata and water hyacinth and also identify other species, document them and find ways to control them or make value-added products from them.”
Apart from invasive species, the centre would also work on areas such as solid waste management and climate change and conduct awareness programmes in schools, colleges and universities. The centre, which would have four staff members, would also publish a newsletter to create awareness on the subjects.
“The centre would get an initial fund of 40lakh, and 20lakh every following year,” Mahajan added.