Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Proceedings of the Indian National Science Academy https://doi.org/10.1007/s43538-022-00063-8 RESEARCH PAPER Composition, introduction history and invasion status of alien fora in Dachigam National Park of Kashmir Himalaya Saba Yaqoob 1  · Iqra Jan 1  · Zafar A. Reshi 1  · Irfan Rashid 1  · Manzoor A. Shah 1 Received: 26 September 2021 / Accepted: 11 January 2022 © Indian National Science Academy 2022 Abstract Protected areas (PAs) hold pivotal importance as repositories of biodiversity, especially for some fagship species of high conservation priority. The growing threat of biological invasions in PAs defes the general perception that these areas are rather immune to invasions. Given the paucity of information on the status of biological invasions in the Himalayan PAs, here we developed a well-annotated inventory of alien fora in Dachigam National Park (DNP) through intensive feld surveys for the period of 2 years (2019–2021) and recorded 56 alien species with majority (50 species) as neophytes and 6 archaeophyte species belonging to 48 genera and 26 families. Of these alien plant species, 43% species are naturalized, 29% invasive, 20% cultivated, 4% casual aliens and 5% either cultivated or casual. Amongst diferent natural habitat types investigated in DNP, the grasslands and riparian habitats were found to be most prone to invasive species. These invasions are attributed to myriad of anthropogenic pressure and growing human-footprint in and outside the DNP. The checklist of alien plant species containing useful information on invasion status, growth form, nativity, mode and purpose of introduction is an important tool with the managers of the PA for keen monitoring and efective management of invasive species in the DNP. In view of UN Decade for Ecosystem Restoration (2021–30), the PA managers can use this checklist to plan their strategies well for restoration of invaded habitats and preventing further invasions in tune with the CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas. So we recommend preparing such checklists for other PAs as well in view of importance this baseline information to deal with invasion-driven changes. Keywords Alien plants · Checklist · Naturalized · Casual · Cultivated · Invasive · Dachigam National Park Introduction The protected areas (PAs) are meant to safeguard the world’s threatened species and are deemed to be relatively immune to ecological problems than nearby unprotected areas. Biological invasions, the second largest threat to bio- diversity (Mooney and Hobbs 2000) after habitat loss, do not spare even the PAs. A recent study by Moodley et al. (2021) estimates the economic costs of IAS in PAs to the tune of US$ 22.13 billion between 1976 and 2020, with US$ 802.47 million as observed costs (incurred) and US$ 21.18 billion as potential costs (expected). Notwithstand- ing the critical role of PAs as insurance against biodiversity loss, these PAs are not only under intense anthropogenic pressure (Jones et al. 2018), but also relatively more vulner- able to and challenged by IAS than other unprotected areas in view of harbouring quite larger proportion of native, endemic and threatened species which are less adapted to human disturbances (Foxcroft et al. 2013; Heringer et al. 2020). Therefore, over the years the growing problem of alien plant invasions in PAs has thrown serious challenges for park managers. There are reportedly more than 277 Ramsar sites in 84 countries where invasive alien species (IAS) are reported as a threat directly or indirectly, with highest number especially in Africa and Asia (Gherardi et al. 2011). Without proper management of IAS the value of PAs is seriously compromised in terms of biodiversity they harbour and ecosystem services provided thereof. The key impediments and challenges to dealing with IAS in PAs is the lack of proper documentation, which in turn ham- pers the apt understanding of the extent of problem and its mitigation. As a result, implementing invasion management plans in the protected areas remain less efective. * Manzoor A. Shah mashah@uok.edu.in 1 Department of Botany, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir 19006, India