Bharat Babu Shrestha

Tribhuvan University · Central Department of Botany

Although the effects of invasive alien plants on natural ecosystems are well known, the effects of specific plant species can vary across habitat types and disturbance intensity. This study was carried out to analyze the effects of Lantana camara on associated vegetation and soil physico-chemical properties at invaded and non-invaded sites across t...

Invasive alien species are increasing over the globe in the Anthropocene era, with a range of negative impacts on biodiversity, ecological processes, production systems, and human well-being. Several factors have made the problems of invasive plants worse in Nepal, as shown by the fact that new invasive plants are continuing to be identified and th...

Comparisons of plant traits between native and invasive congeners are useful approaches for identifying characteristics that promote invasiveness. We compared germination patterns and seedling growth of locally sympatric populations of native Mimosa himalayana and two varieties of invasive M. diplotricha (var. diplotricha and var. inermis ) growing...

Plant invasions are major threats to the biodiversity and ecosystem function worldwide. In particular, forests are one of the highly affected ecosystems by invasive alien plant species (IAPS). In spite of several previous studies on plant invasion issues in forests, the role of tree canopy gaps in the establishment of IAPS is poorly understood, par...

Climate warming is occurring in high-mountain areas at a faster rate than the global average. To escape the increasing temperatures, alpine species may shift in distribution upwards, threatening cold-adapted nival plant specialists. However, little is known about the success of seedling emergence and establishment at high altitudes outside the curr...

Biological invasion is triggered by human development activities such as the construction and expansion of road networks. Road verges serve as important habitats and corridors for the distribution of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) between geographically distant habitats. However, the trajectory of plant invasion and the data regarding the impa...

Cuphea carthagenensis (Jacquin) J.F. Macbride, a native of South America, is recorded for the first time from Mechinagar municipality of southeastern Nepal. This weed has already been in the neighboring northeast region of India since the 1950s and might have recently spread into southeastern Nepal where it is colonizing riparian habitats. We provi...

The highly invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus flowers during both hot, humid summers and cold, dry winters in Nepal, yet it remains unknown if there are differences in seed germination and seedling growth during these contrasting seasons. We analysed seed germination and seedling growth of summer and winter cohorts of P. hysterophorus in Kathma...

It is about the diversity, distribution, and impacts of invasive alien plant species in Lake Cluster and the associated landscape of Pokhara Valley, Central Nepal

The success of invasive plants can be better understood by comparing their traits with closely related native species. This study compared germination ecology and seedling growth of invasive Ageratum houstonianum and Adenostemma conyzoides with co‐occurring and allied native Adenostemma lavenia . Seeds were germinated under a different light (12 h...

South Asia is home to an immense diversity of flora and fauna, which makes it one of the global biodiversity hotspots. Plant invasions are one of several factors that threaten South-Asian biodiversity. This review lists problematic invasive plant species, analyses their negative impacts, and summarises management methods implemented in South Asia u...

Worldwide, invasive alien species (IAS) cause significant ecological and economic impacts. To meet the Target-6 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework that deals with IAS, it is crucial to fill the geographical knowledge gaps in invasion research. Towards this end, making available inventories of IAS from data-deficient regions of th...

The COVID-19 pandemic has had diverse impacts on global poverty, food security, and biodiversity conservation. While reports have highlighted both positive and negative effects of COVID-19 on biodiversity worldwide, the negative impacts have, in general, outweighed the positive ones. Despite initial reports and anecdotal evidence, there is a notabl...

Global spread of pandemic COVID-19 disease is a special example of biological invasions. Such pandemic diseases have also emerged in the past. This chapter provides a brief account of the similarities and differences between pandemic diseased and biological invasions. Options at global levels to address the emerging pandemic diseases and invasive a...

Diversity of naturalized and invasive plants often vary across land use types. However, empirical studies analysing such patterns are mostly lacking at local level where management intervention are implemented. In this study, we aimed to understand if (i) the diversity of naturalized and invasive plants differ across land use types and (ii) the div...

Medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs) contribute to human well‐being via health and economic benefits. Nepal has recorded 2331 species of MAPs, of which around 300 species are currently under trade. Wild harvested MAPs in Nepal are under increasing pressure from overexploitation for trade and the effects of climate change and development. Despite so...

Weeds are recognized worldwide as an important environmental and economic burden in the human dominated landscape, particularly in the agro-ecosystems. Management of weeds is highly context specific and requires the knowledge of weed community structure at local levels. Additionally, periodic assessment of weed flora is essential because the weed c...

Asia, occupying nearly 30% of the earth’s terrestrial surface, is one of the most important continent known for its highly diverse culture, economy, geography, and ecology. Three of the world’s five largest economies, and nearly two-thirds of the world’s population, are in Asia. The continent has a diverse range of habitats including tropical moist...

A field guide to identify 27 invasive alien plant species of Nepal written both in English and Nepali language.

Invasive alien species are a major threat to global biodiversity due to the tremendous ecological and economic damage they cause in forestry, agriculture, wetlands, and pastoral resources. Understanding the spatial pattern of invasive alien species and disentangling the biophysical drivers of invasion at the forest stand level is essential for mana...

Due to extreme climate and limited accessibility, mountains are marked by low human population density and relatively little direct human interference. However, the recent anthropogenic footprint in terms of climate change, land-use changes, infrastructure developments, and increased global connectivity have made these pristine ecoregions more vuln...

The leaf-feeding beetle, Zygogramma bicolorata Pallister, one of the biocontrol agents against Parthenium hysterophorus L., having been established at several locations of Nepal. However, the damage to P. hysterophorus by the beetle has not been assessed quantitatively under different climatic conditions so far. The study was carried out at two loc...

Status and Impact of Invasive Alien Plant Species in Parsa National Park

Abstract: Sphagneticola trilobata (L.) Pruski (Asteraceae) is reported here for the first time for the flora of Nepal. The species is recorded from its naturalized populations in the wild from Panchkhal area of Kavrepalanchowk district in central Nepal. A detailed taxonomic description (with colour photographs), notes on habitat and ecology, and it...

Biological invasion is one of the threats to biodiversity conservation in the protected areas (PAs) globally. Although the problems of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) have been recognized in the PAs of Nepal, there is lack of comprehensive information to support management decisions. This paper provides an inventory of the IAPS in the PAs of Ne...

Biological invasions have significant impacts on ecosystems, the services provided by ecosystems, and associated economies. In wetlands, invasion by alien plants can impact the ecosystem services that are fundamental to human well-being. We conducted a stakeholder analysis in Ramsar sites in the Pokhara Valley to understand ecosystem services, the...

Biological invasions are pervasive and increasing across space and time, making their management complex and challenging. Understanding patterns and processes associated with biological invasions (e.g. diversity, distribution, dispersal) can rightly inform the decision at different governance levels for effective management. While these patterns an...

Though variability in morphological features along the environmental gradients has been extensively studied, less information is available on possible adaptations and trends of anatomical features. We examined the variation in morphological and stem anatomical features of a widely distributed (2,200-5,300 m a.s.l.) Rhododendron lepidotum across ele...

Research interests in Invasive Alien Plant Species (IAPS) have expanded globally, and nationally in Nepal, over the last few decades. Here we provide a systematic compilation and analysis of the scientific literature to exploreresearch trends and identify research gaps in plant invasion biology in Nepal. We compiled and examined journal publication...

Zoonosis-based epidemics are inevitable unless we revisit our relationship with the natural world, protect habitats and regulate wildlife trade, including live animals and non-sustenance products. To prevent future zoonoses, governments must establish effective legislation addressing wildlife trade, protection of habitats and reduction of the wildl...

Background Natural forests are generally considered to be less prone to biological invasions than other modified ecosystems, particularly when canopy cover is high. Few decades of management of degraded forests by local communities in Nepal has increased canopy cover and altered disturbance regimes. These changes might have reduced the abundance of...

With increasing globalization, trade, and human movement, the rate of alien species introduction has increased all around the globe. In addition, climate change is thought to exacerbate the situation by allowing range expansion of invasive species into new areas. Predicting the distribution of invasive species under conditions of climate change is...

Background Parthenium hysterophorus is a noxious invasive weed in tropical and subtropical regions of the world, including Nepal. Among 11 species of biological control agents released to control P. hysterophorus in Ausrtalia, winter rust Puccina abrupta var. partheniicola arrived fortuitously and has established in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, nearly...

Climate change has been an established scientific fact for every aspect of human life and for the entire biosphere. Climatic changes are quite exciting processes that are associated with evolution, speciation and diversification of life as well as their migration and extinction. Although we know that the Earth's climate is ever changing due to natu...

Mimosa diplotricha C. Wright (Fabaceae), an invasive weed is recorded for the first time in Nepal from Southeastern lowland of Tarai. A key to the Nepalese species of Mimosa, taxonomic description of M. diplotricha, notes on its habit, habitat, and distribution is provided. A variety M. diplotricha var. inermis (Adelb.) Veldkamlis also reported fro...

Invasive alien plant species (IAPS) are spreading into protected areas worldwide; however, knowledge of these invasions and their impacts in Nepal’s protected areas is poor. Here, the spatial distribution pattern of IAPS in Bardia National Park (BNP), Nepal, was analysed using roadside surveys and grid sampling. The impacts of the most abundant IAP...

Parthenium hysterophorus L. is a noxious invasive weed and is ever expanding in its introduced range including Nepal. Understanding vegetation dynamics including soil seedbank in Parthenium invaded communities and the growth pattern of the weed itself is essential for effective management of Parthenium. We monitored growth of Parthenium (height, de...

Extent of plant invasions has been expected to be low in protected areas such as national parks due to low anthropogenic activities and high wilderness. However, recent researches across the world have revealed that plant invasions can be severe in the national parks with negative impacts on the protected species and ecosystems. Unfortunately, the...

Gall inducers are widely used as biocontrol agents to suppress the vegetative and reproductive growth of invasive weeds. Procecidochares utilis Stone (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a gall forming fly that was released as a biocontrol agent against the noxious invasive weed Ageratina adenophora (Sprengel) R. King and H. Robinson (Asterales: Asteraceae)....

Changes in population structure and plant functional traits across environmental gradient in the near natural treeline is a critical determinant of environmental changes in treelines. In this study we analyzed population characteristics and leaf traits of Rhododendron campanulatum across treeline ecotone in a trans-Himalayan region of Mustang distr...

Alpine treelines are expected to shift upward due to recent climate change. However, interpretation of changes in montane systems has been problematic because effects of climate change are frequently confounded with those of land use changes. The eastern Himalaya, particularly Langtang National Park, Central Nepal, has been relatively undisturbed f...

Parthenium hysterophorus is a noxious invasive weed of both agricultural and natural ecosystems, spreading aggressively in Nepal. Management of this weed in Nepal has been limited, mainly because of the lack of geo‐referenced data concerning the weed's distribution. We conducted a nationwide survey of P. hysterophorus and its coleopteran biological...

Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape (CHAL) in central Nepal is known for its rich biodiversity and the landscape is expected to provide corridors for species range shift in response to climate change. Environmental assessments have identified biological invasions and other anthropogenic activities as major threats to the biodiversity in the CHAL. One of th...

Parthenium hysterophorus is a noxious invasive weed and is ever expanding in its introduced range including Nepal. Understanding vegetation dynamics including soil seedbank in Parthenium invaded communities and the growth pattern of the weed itself is essential for effective management of Parthenium. We monitored growth of Parthenium (height, densi...

Management of invasive alien species is increasingly challenging mainly because of the failure of past global efforts to slow down the rate of invasion and increasing globalization of trade and transport. Developing countries like Nepal are further constrained due to the lack of adequate scientific knowledge to inform policy and management. This ha...

Invasive Alien Species cause tremendous ecological and economic damage in agriculture, forestry, aquatic ecosystems, and pastoral resources. They are one of the major threats to biodiversity conservation. Understanding the spatial pattern of invasive species and disentangling the biophysical drivers of invasion at forest stand level is essential fo...

Aim Climate change has increased the risk of biological invasions, particularly by increasing the climatically suitable regions for invasive alien species. The distribution of many native and invasive species has been predicted to change under future climate. We performed species distribution modelling of invasive alien plants (IAPs) to identify ho...

A surprisingly large number of species potentially threatened by human harvest lack quantitative ecological studies incorporating harvest effects, especially clonal species in the alpine Himalayas. We studied density and biomass variation of a threatened medicinal herb, Neopicrorhiza scrophulariiflora, to examine the effect of harvest on plant perf...

Parthenium hysterophorus L. is a globally significant environmental and agricultural weed that is rapidly spreading from its native range in the tropical Americas to tropical and subtropical regions of all continents. We analyzed temporal and spatial patterns of research done on this weed across the world. Research articles were accessed from onlin...

A wide range of habitat conditions including elevation determine adaptative variation in a species. The study was carried out to investigate the anatomical variation of two common species of Rhododendron (R. anthopogon and R. lepidotum) growing between 3200 and 4700 m asl in Gokyo valley of Sagarmatha National Park, Khumbu, eastern Nepal. Seven ana...

Biological invasion is increasing worldwide and the management of invasive species is becoming an important priority for vegetation managers. Success of invasive species management depends on a thorough understanding of the biology of the organism in question and the effectiveness of current management efforts, in order to identify the best practic...

The management of invasive species is a complex, yet an essential component of biodiversity established linkage between biological invasions and human activities, the social dimension of invasive species management is less explored as compared to the ecological aspects. In IAPs and prioritize IAPs for management. In the prioritization exercise, par...

This book has been a collective effort by 26 members of the International Parthenium Weed Network, which is an International network of expert volunteers devoted to creating awareness about the parthenium weed ( Parthenium hysterophorus ) threat, and to sharing information on how to reduce its adverse impacts upon agro-ecosystems, the environment a...

Wetlands support exceptionally high biodiversity and provide valuable ecosystem services, yet they are among the most threatened habitats due to anthropogenic activities. Conservation and management planning of wetlands requires, among others, plants found in the wetlands of the Lake Cluster of Pokhara Valley (LCPV), a Ramsar site of Nepal, located...

Understanding ecological patterns and response to climate change requires unbiased data on species distribution. This can be challenging, especially in biodiverse but extreme environments like the Himalaya. This study presents the results of the first ever application of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) imagery for species-level mapping of vegetation...

Understanding ecological patterns and response to climate change requires unbiased data on species distribution. This can be challenging, especially in biodiverse but extreme environments like the Himalaya. This study presents the results of first-ever application of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) imagery for species level mapping of vegetation in t...

Invasive alien plant species (IAPS) can pose severe threats to biodiversity and stability of native ecosystems, therefore, predicting the distribution of the IAPS plays a crucial role in effective planning and management of ecosystems. In the present study, we use Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) modelling approach to predict the potential of distribution...

Sensitivity & specificity graph. (PDF)

Significant variable for predicting invasive species distribution. (DOCX)

Relative importance of environmental variables based on jackknife results. (PDF)

Predicted range expansion and contraction of IAPS for the year 2050 & 2070 at different climatic scenario. (PDF)

This working paper mainly focused on assessment of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) in KSL-Nepal and Khar Village Development Committee of Darchula District (one of the pilot sites of the Kailash Initiative in Nepal) to analyze distribution pattern of IAPS, understand their impacts on ecosystems and livelihood, and recommend activities to manage...

This working paper mainly focused on assessment of invasive alien plant species (IAPS) in KSL-Nepal and Khar Village Development Committee of Darchula District (one of the pilot sites of the Kailash Initiative in Nepal) to analyze distribution pattern of IAPS, understand their impacts on ecosystems and livelihood, and recommend activities to manage...