Riparian vegetation: degradation, alien plant invasions, and restoration prospects

ABSTRACT Rivers are conduits for materials and energy; this, the frequent and intense disturbances that these systems experience, and their narrow, linear nature, create problems for conservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the face of increasing human influence. In most parts of the world, riparian zones are highly modified. Changes caused by alien plants — or environmental changes that facilitate shifts in dominance creating novel ecosystems — are often important agents of perturbation in these systems. Many restoration projects are underway. Objective frameworks based on an understanding of biogeographical processes at different spatial scales (reach, segment, catchment), the specific…

• DO
  Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, India
• AV
  Akademie Věd České Republiky

  Awards: 0021620828, AV0Z60050516
• DC
  DST-NRF Centre of Excellence for Invasion Biology