Use of exotic species in afforestation and facilitation for the establishment of biological invasion

This study aimed to inventory the species used in landscaping the Campus of Agricultural Sciences of the Federal University of Paraíba, Areia, PB, Brazil and to rank them according to their origin and their invasive potential. Through walks throughout the study area (active search), we cataloged all the species used in local afforestation and classified them as native or exotic. Exotic plants were also classified as to their invasive potential. Altogether, we identified 76 species belonging to 67 genera and 25 families. Of these, only 26 species were native. The results of this study are worrisome because of the large number of exotic species used for planting at the study site (50 species), including known aggressive species: Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam., Azadirachta indica A. Juss. and Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit.