Controlling The Spread Of Invasive Creepers On Mahe |16 October 2017
The impact of invasive plants is of great concern to conservationists, farmers, private landowners, ecotourism businesses as well as residents of private dwellings. Driving down Bel Air road, opposite the Children’s House preschool, one cannot miss the newly cleared plot of land, which was for years covered with invasive creepers. The cleared plot along with four others around Mahé, totals up to 2500 m2 of land on which invasive creepers have been removed. These plots are located at Bel Air, Baie Lazare, Cascade, Beau Vallon and Grand Anse (Ethiopie).
This new project aimed at removing and controlling invasive plants in and outside protected areas, was launched earlier this year and is being undertaken by the Seychelles National Parks Authority (SNPA).
The project is being funded by the Environment Trust Fund (ETF) and is targeting the three most aggressive creepers: Merremia, The Trumpet and The Devil’s Ivy, all introduced flowering plants in Seychelles.
The Trumpet is native to the eastern United States, the Devil’s Ivy is from French Polynesia, and Merremia is a genus of flowering plants, in the morning glory family.
After conducting training sessions for local landscape contractors, SNPA selected five of them (by a draw) to clear five plots in five different regions on Mahé.
SNPA will soon afforest these cleared areas with endemic plants to restore biodiversity in the areas.
The authority will choose five more plots that are covered with the creepers and before the end of the year, five new contractors (those who attended training) will undertake the task of clearing them.
The control and eradication of invasive plant species inside protected areas is a mandate of the SNPA. However invasive plants have propagated out of control for many years now despite the fact that many attempts were undertaken in the past to control them.
The method used and the resources available were not adequate enough, as a result the impact has been very poor causing the invasive plant to propagate more aggressively, covering large areas within and outside the protected areas.
This new project which will span five years, will enable SNPA to control and limit the spread of invasive plant species in the country and restore cleared areas with endemic plant species.
Another important component of the project is awareness among the public on the impacts of invasive creepers. SNPA is inviting interested groups to join them to clear affected areas, an activity which can help build team spirit in many organisations while contributing positively to biodiversity conservation in the country.
The accompanying photos compare the area at Bel Air before and after the clearing.