KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA Nation Religion King ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE INVASIVE ALIEN PLANT SPECIES, MIMOSA PIGRA, AT STUNG SEN CORE AREA, TONLE SAP BIOSPHERE RESERVE, CAMBODIA Report Submitted to CABI under the UNEP/GEF Project: Removing Barriers to Invasive Species Management in Production and Protection Forests in SE Asia-FORIS Cambodia Project (UNEP/GEF Project No. 0515) December 2013 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ...................................................................................................................................ii List of Tables .....................................................................................................................................ii I. Introduction and Purpose ........................................................................................................... 1 II. Methodology and Approach Followed to Develop this Management Plan ............................... 2 III. Details of Pilots Site .................................................................................................................. 3 3.1. Locality ............................................................................................................................... 3 3.2. Flora ................................................................................................................................... 4 3.3. Fauna ................................................................................................................................. 4 3.3.1. Mammal .................................................................................................................. 4 3.3.2. Birds ......................................................................................................................... 4 3.3.3. Fish ........................................................................................................................... 5 3.4. Land Use ............................................................................................................................ 5 3.5. History of Invasion ............................................................................................................. 6 IV. Details of Target Invasive Species ............................................................................................. 6 4.1. Description ........................................................................................................................ 6 4.2. Distribution and Spread of Mimosa pigra in Cambodia ..................................................... 7 4.3. Invasiveness Elsewhere ...................................................................................................... 7 4.4. Impacts .............................................................................................................................. 8 4.4.1. Biodiversity and Environmental ............................................................................... 8 4.4.2. Socio-economic ........................................................................................................ 8 4.4.3. Health ....................................................................................................................... 9 V. Invasive Species Control and Landscape Management Activities Conducted To date in Cambodia ................................................................................................................................ 9 5.1. Manual Control ............................................................................................................... 10 5.2. Chemical Control ............................................................................................................. 10 5.3. Biological Control ............................................................................................................ 10 5.4. Restoration ..................................................................................................................... 11 VI. Proposed Management Activities ........................................................................................... 11 6.1. Awareness Raising .......................................................................................................... 11 6.2. Experimental Trial on Mimosa pigra at Stung Sen Core Area ......................................... 11 6.2.1. Purpose of the Trial ............................................................................................... 11 6.2.2. Material and Methods .......................................................................................... 12 6.3. Gantt Chart of Activities against Duration of the Experiment ........................................ 15 6.3.1. Gantt Chart of Pilot Activities ............................................................................... 15 6.3.2. Gantt Chart of Proposed Management Activities ................................................ 16 6.4. Stakeholders Involvement .............................................................................................. 19 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................. 22 i List of Figures Figure 1: Map showing the Location of Stung Sen Core Area ................................................... 3 Figure 2: Different land use classes for each zone ..................................................................... 5 Figure 3: The Experimental Design Tree showing the combined effects of manual, herbicide and restoration control ............................................................................ 13 Figure 4: Plot Design ................................................................................................................ 13 List of Tables Table 1: Ten native species and exotic plant species for the purpose of monitoring and biodiversity change .................................................................................................... 13 Table 2: Gantt Chart of Pilot Activities .................................................................................... 14 Table 3: Gantt Chart of Proposed Management Activities ..................................................... 15 Table 4: Stakeholders’ roles/ Responsibilities .......................................................................... 18 ii I. INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE Invasive Alien Species (IAS) are non-indigenous plants, animals and microorganisms that have been deliberately or accidentally introduced to new areas beyond their native ranges, and which then spread impacting negatively on biodiversity and economic development. IAS can alter vital ecosystem processes such as fire, hydrology and nutrient cycling; kill, suppress, compete with or displace native species and communities; or alter gene pools through hybridization (Chornesky & Randall 2003). The spread of IAS including plant species is now recognized as one of the greatest threats to habitats, ecosystem functioning and economic development on our planet. IAS cause enormous damage to crop and pasture production and natural ecosystems. Direct and indirect impacts are increasing and damage to natural systems which are often irreversible; the impacts are exacerbated by global climate change, threatening the life supporting systems on our planet. Article 8(h) of the CBD calls on Parties to “as far as possible and as appropriate: Prevent the introduction of, control or eradicate those alien species which threaten ecosystems, habitats or species”. At the sixth Conference of the Parties (COP 6), Parties adopted guiding principles and a programme of work for the implementation of Article 8(h) (Decision VI/23; CBD 2002). This decision recognized IAS as one of the primary threats to biodiversity in the world and urged bilateral donors and other funding sources to make funding for development and implementation of IAS strategies and actions in geographically and evolutionarily isolated ecosystems an urgent priority (Target 9 of the 2020 CBD Aichi Targets). IAS are common in Cambodia, impacting on crop and pasture production, human and animal health, water resources, biodiversity and economic development in general. One of these species, mimosa (Mimosa pigra L.) is one of the most abundant and widespread IAS in Cambodia and has invaded many Protected Areas, including the Stung Sen Core Area of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve. Mimosa, Mimosa pigra L., is a thorny invasive plant that is originally native to Mexico, and Central and South America and has now spread into all tropical regions. The common name of this species is different among countries (Heard et al., 2009). The mature plant is 6 meters tall and can harm native plants, animals, and wildlife as well as human activities, by forming dense impenetrable bush and spreading quickly in floodplains (Marko, 1999). Each mimosa plant can produce 220, 000 seeds per year (Lonsdale, 1992 cited by Marko, 1999). Mimosa has high reproduction rate and the ability to adapt to many wetland habitats, such as canals, ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, reservoirs, and along the road side. It is also one of the worst invasive species in Cambodia and other countries because of its quick invasion and impact on agriculture, fisheries production, and economy (Kosal, 2004; Samoth, 2004; Beilfuss, 2007). 1 As a result, Cambodia has recognized the urgent need to address the problems of IAS, and has teamed up with CABI to implement a Regional Project entitled “Removing