Evolution of pastoral resources and areas of New Caledonia under invasion of plant species

In the pastoral areas of New Caledonia more than 30 main weeds are considered as noxious. Our research aims to produce a set of diagnosis tools for a better management of pastoral areas in order to improve animal feeding, while conserving the rangeland environment. Maps of the distribution in New Caledonia of these undesirable or invasive plant species have been drawn up. Different levels of deterioration and impact on the grazing systems have been established. Multidimensional statistic methods analyse the inter-relationship between the invasive species, the pastoral vegetation, the environment and management practices.