As I write this, most nations are debating the language to save the world. Countries are meeting for the Convention on Biological Diversity, which will decide global goals for wildlife, nature and biodiversity.
One of these proposed goals is to eradicate invasive species by 50 per cent by 2030. ‘Invasive’ is a dramatic word, but it’s also a true one. It refers to species that are foreign to India, and able to self-propagate— posing a huge danger to us, our wildlife, and the economy.
A prime example of an invasive species is an unassuming-looking bush with clusters of colourful flowers, bright berries and a minty, fresh scent. This is the Lantana Camara, and by all accounts, it looks good. The flowers are a charming, pastel combination of yellow and pink, and the clusters have both colours in them.
They look like the sweet things a child would make—and if bigger, they would be the florid bunch you’d take on a date. Lantana Camara grows just about everywhere and needs so little that it is a gardener’s favourite for hedges or borders. Butterflies flock to the flowers, and in tiger land, you may often see a tiger lying in the inky shadow of a lantana thicket.
But, though beautiful, lantana has displaced many other plants that would otherwise be growing in its place. It has taken over lakhs of square kilometres of forest land and sanctuaries. And though it sounds unbelievable, the lantana is also partially responsible for the displacement of the mighty elephant. Herds of elephants will leave forests which are taken over by lantana in search of food they can eat, causing conflict with people.
While birdwatching this fall, I noticed a lovely bird. This was the yellow-eyed babbler, a long-tailed, brown-and-white bird, with a yellowish-orange ring around its eye. Two babblers sat in a lantana bush, with the evening’s golden light falling on them. They hopped from one branch to another, stopping only to inspect purpling lantana berries.
The scene looked perfect, even idyllic, but what I was witnessing was an alien squatting among native birds. While typically some species like yellow-eyed babblers will make use of invasives like lantana, the overall harm done by them is exponential. In the water, another species that is charming to see, hard to kill, and fully invasive, is the water hyacinth flower, first brought to India for its vivid purple blossoms.
Removing invasives on a war footing will help our crops, the productivity of our forests, and the wildlife that need a wide variety of things to eat. Much of this will have to be done manually, or through mechanical diggers and excavators, and we will have to restore gaps in vegetation with native species.
As the world thrashes out global targets, I hope these targets can be set and met. A few years from now, I’d love to see the yellow-eyed babbler in the golden light again. Hopping about happily, beak glinting and gilded in sunrays, but without lantana this time.
Neha Sinha
Conservation biologist and author
Twitter: @nehaa_sinha