Public trained to identify invasive flora Updated: Updated: To map spread of exotic species Share Article To map spread of exotic species The public, trained in identifying invasive species of flora, may prove to be an extremely useful part of ascertaining the extent of invasive flora in the Nilgiris. Recently, the Ashoka Trust for Research on Ecology and Environment (ATREE), Bengaluru, along with Keystone Foundation in Kotagiri, organised a training programme for residents from local communities to identify around 27 species of invasive flora in different parts of the Nilgiris. Shiny Mariam Rehel, programme coordinator for the Biodiversity Restoration Programme at Keystone Foundation, said the residents would collect data on the type of invasive species present in a given location as well as the extent of the species in any given area and other parameters.