Nearly 2,000 hectares of Tri An Lake in the southern province of Dong Nai have been invaded by the Mimosa pigra weedInvasive weed attacking [Vietnam's] southern province
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Thanh Nien News
An aggressive shrub, listed as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species, is threatening Vietnam’s rich biodiversity.
An invasive weed species known as Mimosa pigra, or bashful plant, is taking over Tri An Lake in the southern province of Dong Nai, a local newspaper has reported.
The aggressive shrubs, listed as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species, can grow up to six feet high in agricultural areas, grasslands and wetlands.
So far, the plants have invaded around 2,000 hectares of the Tri An Lake area, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Mimosa pigra threatens biodiversity almost anywhere it grows, leaching nutrients from the soil.
Its amino acid, mimosine, is toxic to both plants and animals and the weed reproduces quickly via buoyant seed pods floating over long distances in flood waters.
The weed species has been documented in several countries including Australia, the US, Cambodia and Thailand.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reports that Mimosa pigra has made several of Vietnam’s fields impenetrable with its dense, thorny thickets, infested cultivation land, and inhibited watercourses and irrigation areas.
Director Tran Van Mui of the southern province’s Vinh Cuu Natural and Heritage Reserve says that as Tri An Lake’s biodiversity begins to suffer, its useful plants and animals will die-off while destructive ones will develop.
When old Mimosa pigra die, the shrubs disintegrate into toxic substances which can have harmful effects on surrounding water sources, he adds.
“The quality of the 35,000-hectare lake, which provides running water for 14 million people in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, therefore, is under threat,” said Mui.
A thorny problem
Each year during the rainy season, flood waters bring millions of new seeds down the Dong Nai River, and the shrubs proliferate to more areas of the country.
The weed species has spread dramatically over the last 10 years in other areas of the province including Cat Tien National Park and Vinh Cuu Natural and Heritage Reserve.
In addition to Dong Nai Province, Mimosa pigra has attacked several other provinces and areas nationwide like the coastal, central province of Quang Tri, Tram Chim National Park in the southern province of Dong Thap, and Bien Lac Lake in the coastal province of Binh Thuan.
In response to the invasion, Dong Nai Province has spent thousands of dollars trying several methods to eliminate the plants, but to date, nothing has proven effective.
In the past, local administration tried introducing competitive species such as tea trees around Tri An Lake to curb the growth of the invasive plants.
The non-indigenous trees, however, proved to have more negative effects than positive, and other local plants began dying-off after the trees’ introduction.
Can Tho University researched other natural methods of eradicating the shrubs including one that involved introducing goats to affected areas to graze on the plants.
It was determined, however, that the goats failed to have a marked effect on curtailing the problem.
The use of chemical substances, says Mui, is not a viable option as Mimosa pigra mainly inhabits wetland areas and any toxic substances used to control the weeds would also be toxic to water ecosystems and human health.
The province is currently relying on manual methods to limit the plant’s growth by removing the plant seedlings, digging up their roots, and drying and burning the shrubs to eliminate their seeds.
An invasive weed species known as Mimosa pigra, or bashful plant, is taking over Tri An Lake in the southern province of Dong Nai, a local newspaper has reported.
The aggressive shrubs, listed as one of the world’s 100 worst invasive species, can grow up to six feet high in agricultural areas, grasslands and wetlands.
So far, the plants have invaded around 2,000 hectares of the Tri An Lake area, according to the Vietnam News Agency.
Mimosa pigra threatens biodiversity almost anywhere it grows, leaching nutrients from the soil.
Its amino acid, mimosine, is toxic to both plants and animals and the weed reproduces quickly via buoyant seed pods floating over long distances in flood waters.
The weed species has been documented in several countries including Australia, the US, Cambodia and Thailand.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment reports that Mimosa pigra has made several of Vietnam’s fields impenetrable with its dense, thorny thickets, infested cultivation land, and inhibited watercourses and irrigation areas.
Director Tran Van Mui of the southern province’s Vinh Cuu Natural and Heritage Reserve says that as Tri An Lake’s biodiversity begins to suffer, its useful plants and animals will die-off while destructive ones will develop.
When old Mimosa pigra die, the shrubs disintegrate into toxic substances which can have harmful effects on surrounding water sources, he adds.
“The quality of the 35,000-hectare lake, which provides running water for 14 million people in Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, therefore, is under threat,” said Mui.
A thorny problem
Each year during the rainy season, flood waters bring millions of new seeds down the Dong Nai River, and the shrubs proliferate to more areas of the country.
The weed species has spread dramatically over the last 10 years in other areas of the province including Cat Tien National Park and Vinh Cuu Natural and Heritage Reserve.
In addition to Dong Nai Province, Mimosa pigra has attacked several other provinces and areas nationwide like the coastal, central province of Quang Tri, Tram Chim National Park in the southern province of Dong Thap, and Bien Lac Lake in the coastal province of Binh Thuan.
In response to the invasion, Dong Nai Province has spent thousands of dollars trying several methods to eliminate the plants, but to date, nothing has proven effective.
In the past, local administration tried introducing competitive species such as tea trees around Tri An Lake to curb the growth of the invasive plants.
The non-indigenous trees, however, proved to have more negative effects than positive, and other local plants began dying-off after the trees’ introduction.
Can Tho University researched other natural methods of eradicating the shrubs including one that involved introducing goats to affected areas to graze on the plants.
It was determined, however, that the goats failed to have a marked effect on curtailing the problem.
The use of chemical substances, says Mui, is not a viable option as Mimosa pigra mainly inhabits wetland areas and any toxic substances used to control the weeds would also be toxic to water ecosystems and human health.
The province is currently relying on manual methods to limit the plant’s growth by removing the plant seedlings, digging up their roots, and drying and burning the shrubs to eliminate their seeds.
FACTS ABOUT MIMOSA PIGRASource: Lao Dong
- Mimosa pigra is an invasive weed species which thrives in wet-dry tropical climates and open, moist areas like floodplains, coastal plains and river banks.
- It reproduces via buoyant seed pods that can be spread over long distances in flood waters.
- Plants mature quickly and can produce seeds in their first year of growth. Flowering may begin six to eight months following germination.
- Flowers develop in about seven to nine days and seed pods in about 25 days.
- The seeds are extremely hardy and can remain dormant for more than 15 years depending on the environment.
- When mature, Mimosa pigra is a branched, prickly shrub that can reach a height of 3-6 meters.
- The plant is listed as one of the “World’s Worst 100” invasive weed species.
8 comments:
Sounds like good stuff for Ah Khmer-Yuon.
The thorny shrubs are also seen growing onto the upward stream of Mekong. It grows in srok khmer too.
Impossible.
Banla Youn!
Growed where youn is living near by!
Kick Sok kong out the weed will die out in Cambodia!
Youn changraiy!
questionable, good for the evironments?
That is for Ah khmer-Yuon to find out, 1:45.
If ah youn not move out of cambodia next time bird flou will hit Hanoi!
Actually, Laos had the least Bird Flu incident and they have lot of Vietnamese in there. Thus, we need more Vietnamese in Cambodia.
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