ILORA: a database of alien vascular flora of India.
Abstract
Biological invasions pose an unprecedented threat to biodiversity and ecosystems at different spatial scales, especially for a biodiversity-rich developing nation like India. While country-level checklists of alien taxa are important, databases having their biological and ecological attributes are of paramount importance for facilitating research activities and developing policy interventions. Such a comprehensive database for alien flora is lacking in India. We have curated data for 14 variables related to ecology, biogeography, introduction pathway, socio-economy and distribution of 1747 alien vascular plant species from 22 national and global sources to produce the Indian Alien Flora Information (ILORA) version 1.0 database. This paper describes the detailed methodology of curating these data along with the rationale behind selecting these variables. The database, the first of its kind for the Indian alien flora, will provide easy access to high-quality data and offer a ready reference to comprehend the existing scenario of alien plant species in the country. The database is dynamic and will be updated regularly. It has a provision to incorporate user-submitted data, which will allow increasing the resolution of the database as well as the expansion of its capacity. The database is envisaged to become a nationwide collaborative platform for a wide spectrum of stakeholders. It is freely accessible via an online data repository as well as through a dedicated website (https://ilora2020.wixsite.com/ilora2020).