Biodiversitas Journal of Biological Diversity
Vol. 26 No. 11 (2025)

Management recommendations for invasive alien plants in a university arboretum of North Sumatra, Indonesia

AGNES JOSEPHINE AYUNINGTYAS (Department of Forestry, Faculty of Forestry, Universitas Sumatera Utara. Jl. Lingkar USU, Deli Serdang 20353, North Sumatra, Indonesia)
SURATNI AFRIANTI (Department of Agrotechnology, Faculty of Agro Technology, Universitas Prima Indonesia. Jl. Sampul No. 3, Medan 20117, North Sumatra, Indonesia)
SHIGEYUKI BABA (International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems, University of the Ryukyus. Senbaru 1, Nishihara 903-0129, Okinawa, Japan)
MOHAMMAD BASYUNI (Center of Excellence for Mangrove, Universitas Sumatera Utara. Jl. Perpustakaan No. 3A, Medan 20155, North Sumatra, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
27 Nov 2025

Abstract

Abstract. Ayuningtyas AJ, Afrianti S, Baba S, Basyuni M. 2025. Management recommendations for invasive alien plants in a university arboretum of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 26: 5544-5555. Invasive alien plants threaten biodiversity and ecosystem stability, yet studies in Indonesian arboreta remain limited. This study assessed the diversity, ecological characteristics, and management priorities of invasive alien plants in the Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) Arboretum, North Sumatra, Indonesia. The objective of this study is threefold: first, to identify the diversity of invasive alien plants; second, to analyze their taxonomic relationships and interactions with native species; and third, to provide recommendations for effective management. A systematic nested plot design was implemented, entailing the utilization of 250 plots, each measuring 5 × 5 m, with subplots of 2 × 2 m. A total of 29 invasive species, classified into 16 families, were documented. The most prevalent species were Asystasia gangetica (1,361 individuals) and Miconia crenata (523 individuals), with a combined Importance Value Index (IVI) of 148.97%. The diversity, richness, and evenness indices were found to be moderate. The Jaccard Index ranged from 0.184 to 0.606, indicating weak interspecies similarity across plots. Three management strategies were proposed: (i) Site management for A. gangetica and M. crenata, (ii) Regular monitoring for six moderately invasive species, (iii) Limited control for 21 species of negligible risk. These findings provide a scientific basis for developing structured management and early detection systems to sustain biodiversity and ecological integrity in university arboreta and other ex-situ conservation sites.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

biodiv

Publisher

Subject

Agriculture, Biological Sciences & Forestry Biochemistry, Genetics & Molecular Biology

Description

The Biodiversitas Journal was first published in 2000 by the Department of Biology, FMNS, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia, then in 2006 it was co-published by the Society for Indonesian Biodiversity and that department; since 2017 it was also hosted by Smujo. From 2003-2012 it was ...