A study conducted by the National Institute of Biodiversity (Inabio) together with several universities in Ecuador and abroad revealed that the number of non-native plants in continental Ecuador has doubled, reaching 1,260 taxa that pose an increasing threat to local biodiversity.
Of the total recorded, 770 correspond to cultivated species, 486 grow in the wild, and 4 remain of uncertain status. Among the wild species, 52% are naturalized while 48% are considered casual. Most are concentrated in the Andean region (451 species), followed by the Coast (253) and the Amazon (182).
Researchers also documented local uses for 385 taxa, mainly ornamental (42%) and medicinal (38%), while fewer than 40% are used for food, livestock, or ancestral purposes. These spontaneously growing plants account for 2.6% of Ecuador’s flora, which includes about 18,600 native species.
Inabio warned that invasive non-native species are responsible for 60% of documented global extinctions. For this reason, the institution highlighted the importance of such inventories to strengthen early detection and species prioritization in addressing biological invasions.
Ecuador, one of the 20 most biodiverse countries in the world, faces this challenge in a territory shaped by the convergence of the Andes mountains, the Amazon rainforest, and the influence of oceanic currents along its coast.