REVIEW article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Technical Advances in Plant Science
This article is part of the Research TopicHarnessing Invasive Plant Species Into Valuable ProductsView all articles
Strategic Valorization of Invasive Alien Plants: A Bioeconomic Review for Sustainable Product Development
Provisionally accepted
Pragati Babarao Patil1
M. P. Divya2*K. T. Parthiban1A. Balasubramanian1S. Varadha Raj1R. Ravi1
Ashick Rajah R1- 1Forest College and Research Institute, Mettupalayam, India
- 2Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India
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Invasive alien plant species (IAPS) pose serious ecological and economic threats due to their aggressive proliferation and disruption of native ecosystems. However, their high biomass yield and rich phytochemical profiles offer significant potential for value-added utilization within circular bioeconomy frameworks. This review evaluates five major IAPS viz., Lantana camara, Prosopis juliflora, Leucaena leucocephala, Acacia mearnsii, and Senna spectabilis for their suitability in bioenergy, pulp and paper, natural dye production, pharmaceuticals, compost, and engineered wood. Quantitative assessments using multi-criteria scoring, pharmacological activity heatmap, and biomass-to-product flow models reveal that P. juliflora is the most versatile species, showing high performance across all categories, while L. camara and L. leucocephala emerge as specialized candidates for dyes, pharmaceuticals, and fodder applications, respectively. S. spectabilis exhibits biochar and soil improvement potential, and A. mearnsii demonstrates value in pulp and water purification. Despite technical and regulatory challenges, the strategic valorization of IAPS can simultaneously advance ecological restoration and green economic development. The article emphasizes integrative approaches and policy support for mainstreaming IAPS-based resource management.
Keywords: bioeconomy, Invasive Alien Plant Species, prioritization, resource valorization, Value addition
Received: 01 Sep 2025; Accepted: 09 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Patil, Divya, Parthiban, Balasubramanian, Varadha Raj, Ravi and R. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: M. P. Divya
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