Perception and knowledge of community people on invasive Alien Plant species in Chandak-Aunla Ghat and Hat-Kalika watersheds of Kailash sacred landscape - India: A case study

Abstract

Invasive alien plant species (IAPS) are considered the second most important agent after habitat destruction for species endangerment and extinction. Though dozens of alien invasive plant species (IAPS) occur in the Indian Himalayan region, information on distribution and perceived impact is lacking in the western Himalaya. In the present study, 701 randomly selected households in 45 villages were surveyed through questionnaire surveys in Chandak-Aunla Ghat (329) and Hat-Kalika (372) watersheds in Kailash Sacred Landscape (KSL-India) to know their view on the issues associated with the IAPS and attitudes towards their management. The knowledge, perception, use and management strategies of different IAPS were analyzed. Only 39% of females and 27% of males had knowledge of IAPS. The highlights of the study are: i) Ageratina adenophora had the highest Relative Frequency of Citation value among 14 major IAPS in the study area, ii) informants of Hat-Kalika showed a low richness of knowledge and sharing with their family members as compared to Chandak-Aunla Ghat, iii) respondents perceived IAPS negatively and rated biological invasion and habitat loss as major environmental problem, iv) the major management strategies identified were restoration, eradication, community education and information, and v) perception and level of knowledge sharing on invasive species among age classes and gender have implications for stakeholders and policymakers in management of IAPS.

Keywords

• Chir pine
• Banj oak
• Invasion
• Knowledge Richness Index
• People's perception
• Watershed