Invasive alien species in the flora of jammu and kashmir, India

The integrity of natural ecosystems is increasingly being jeopardized due to the large scale introduction of invasive alien species. Such species are introduced either intentionally or unintentionally and they tend to spread outside of their natural range into the new areas where they grow, survive, reproduce and produce self sustaining populations which out-compete the native species and sometimes become aggressive colonizers. Once unappreciated as sleeper environmental issue, invasions are now considered as one of the serious environmental issues over the world. All the invasive alien species reported in the area have adverse consequences on the biodiversity of the region particularly plant diversity. They are found to intrude into, marginalize and out-compete the native species in their natural habitat and rendering them rare, vulnerable and extinct. There are also threats to the food security and human health besides huge loss to state economy. The control and eradication of invasive alien species will definitely result in the conservation of precarious biological diversity of the state.