Local inventories for effective management of alien species: insights from the alien flora of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh, India

Abstract

The broad-scale inventories of alien species reveal macroecological patterns, but these often fall short in guiding local-level management strategies. Local authorities, tasked with on-the-ground management, require precise knowledge of the occurrence of invasive species tailored to their jurisdictional boundaries. What proves critical at the local scale may not hold the same significance at national or regional levels. In this context, we present a comprehensive inventory of alien vascular plant species across the ecologically diverse Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh (JKL) regions of India. Our study identifies 312 alien plant species belonging to 210 genera and 61 families. These alien plant species are predominantly herbaceous dicots. Of these, ca. 62% are naturalized, and 28% exhibit invasive behavior in the region. Introductions have been primarily unintentional, with a notable fraction (26%) introduced for ornamental purposes. The families with the highest number of alien plant species are Asteraceae (46 species), Fabaceae (28 species), and Amaranthaceae (23 species). The genera with the most species are Amaranthus (10 species), Solanum (8 species), Iris (7 species), and Oenothera (5 species). The Jammu region has the highest number of alien plant species, with 221 documented species, including 99 unique to this region. This is followed by the Kashmir Himalaya, with 212 alien species, 70 of which are exclusive to the area. In Ladakh, 76 alien species are recorded, with only one exclusive to the region. Fifty-five alien species are common across all three regions. In each region, more than 50% of species are naturalized, while invasive species constitute about 30% of the total. Therophytes are the dominant life-form category across all regions. Only 18% of species are shared across the three regions. Our findings emphasize the imperative of integrating local-scale knowledge into invasion management frameworks, ensuring targeted and effective strategies aligned with local administrative capacities. By bridging the gap between broad ecological patterns and localized management needs, our study advocates for a nuanced approach to invasive species management that accounts for regional and local specificity.