Invasive Plants on Coal Overburden Spoil Heaps in Satui, South Kalimantan
Vivi Novianti
Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Universitas Negeri Malang
Abstract
The inhibitory potential of plants during early succession is crucial but little appreciated. Negative effects of these species can slow, arrest, or deflect succession. Aggressive invaders suppress plantings or nurse plants suppress desired target species. Such an inhibitory effect often causes problems during restoration. Study aggressive invaders would assist in informing ecological restoration. Here, line transects was used to investigate species composition and its characteristic on seven coal mine overburden dumping site in tropical climate. There are 124 plant species invaded coal mine overburden on early succession, and 70 of them are classified as invasive species, such as Acacia mangium, Chromolaena odorata, Centrosoma pubescens, Micania micrantha, Imperata cylindrica, and Lantana camara. Acacia mangium and Centrosoma pubescens which are widely planted for reclamation purposes on ex-coal mine area categorized invasive species. The negative impact of these species on inhibition of succession has been seen in certain location. Therefore, understanding the nature of species can facilitate the development of target species for accelerating succession.
Keywords: Invasive plants, overburden spoil, coal mine, succession, ecological restoration
Topic: Environmental Engineering