Ecological and Socioeconomic Impacts of Prosopis juliflora Invasion in the Semiarid Ecosystems in Selected Villages of Ramnad District in Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Prosopis juliflora, an exotic plant popularly known as the poor man’s fuel wood, has been spreading all over the country. In the semiarid region of Tamil Nadu, especially in and around Ramnad district, P. juliflora has been systematically harvested and the charcoal made out of this plant has many industrial uses. The present investigation found that charcoal making out of P. juliflora is as lucrative as rainfed rice cultivation in this region. Therefore, most of the local inhabitants prefer to go for charcoal making rather than rainfed agriculture. Though local people economically benefited from this exotic plant, they also face severe ecological problems such as loss of grazing land, reduction of medicinal plants’ diversity, reduced availability of meat and milk, change in land-use pattern and loss of ecosystem services. Our findings suggest that effective management of P. juliflora stands should be given the highest priority to maintain the quality of ecosystem services in this region.