A socio-ecological analysis of Mikania micrantha management in eastern Nepal: perceptions, practices, and programs at local level

Abstract

Background: Invasive alien species threaten biodiversity, ecosystem services, and forest-dependent livelihoods, yet integrated socio-ecological management approaches remain limited.  We combined local ecological knowledge (LEK) with field experimentation to evaluate and manage the invasive vine Mikania micrantha in eastern Nepal’s lowland forests, to develop a scalable, community-led control model.

Methods: We employed a socio-ecological design integrating household surveys (n=129) across seven Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs) with a 15-month (October 2020 to December 2021) randomized block experiment testing three mechanical treatments (slashing, uprooting, burning) against an untreated control across 96 plots (1-m²). Ordinal logistic regression identified sociodemographic drivers of perceived invasiveness and livelihood impacts. Vegetation monitoring assessed treatment efficacy and native species recovery, and labor inputs were used to estimate management costs.

Results: Our study revealed that 94.6% of respondents were aware of the species, and 57.4% reported high livelihood impacts. Occupation emerged as the strongest predictor of perceived spread and livelihood effects, with laborers and office workers reporting significantly higher perceived impacts (p < 0.01). The ethnobotanical survey showed widespread usage (93.7%), mainly used for feeding livestock (fidelity level = 71.3%), followed by bedding material (13.2%), medicinal uses (6.2%), and manure (3.1%). The use of mechanical control measures led to an increase in the number of native species (p < 0.001), which more than doubled within one year, while M. micrantha cover decreased by 57% due to uprooting. However, management costs varied substantially (USD 176-425/ha). Crucially, the community-preferred method (uprooting; 46% perceived efficacy) aligned with experimental evidence of maximum effectiveness, validating LEK as a reliable guide for intervention design.

Conclusions: Combining LEK with experimental verification provides an approachable way for community-driven management. A zonation approach involves zoning of areas where slashing is cost-effective in outer zones, along with focused uprooting efforts in zones with rich biodiversity, which can result in ecological restoration while being financially manageable by forest-dependent communities.

Keywords: Ecological Knowledge, Invasive Alien Species, Mechanical management, Uprooting, Cost Efficiency