The management of invasive species is a complex, yet an essential component of biodiversity conservation and environmental management for sustainable futures. Despite a well-established linkage between biological invasions and human activities, the social dimension of invasive species management is less explored as compared to the ecological aspects. In recent years, the active participation of local communities, such as assessing levels of awareness and the selection of targeted species prioritized by communities, has been considered as a crucial element for managing invasive species. We conducted 32 focus group discussions (FGDs) including 218 participants in Chitwan-Annapurna Landscape (ChAL) of central Nepal, to assess knowledge and perceptions of agrarian and forest-dependent communities about invasive alien plants (IAPs), document the efforts of the community management of IAPs and prioritize IAPs for management. In the prioritization exercise, participants of each FGD were asked to rank three IAPs using scoring methods and to express their experience about the effects of the selected IAPs on humans and the environment. We found that communities had a living memory of the arrival of some of the IAPs in their locality without knowing the exotic nature of IAPs. Biodiversity loss, livestock poisoning, reduced agricultural production and forage supply, and negative impact on forest regeneration were reported as major negative impacts of IAPs. Communities also reportedly utilized IAPs for medicinal purposes, making compost by using biomass, and controlling floods and landslides. None of the government and non-governmental organizations working in the sectors of biodiversity conservation and environmental management has informed local forest-dependent agrarian communities about the consequences of biological invasions and management of IAPs. However, local communities had already started controlling the spread of some IAPs through manual uprooting. They were able to spot, identify and prioritize IAPs for management and some of the prioritized species were among the world's worst invasive species. Ageratum houstonianum was the top-ranked worst invasive species in agroecosystems while Chromolaena odorata and Ageratina adenophora were the top-ranked worst species in natural ecosystems. Our findings will be useful for guiding community education programs as well as the management of IAPs through formal policy and management plans, such as Nepal's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

入侵物种的管理是复杂的，但对于可持续未来而言，生物多样性保护和环境管理必不可少。尽管在生物入侵和人类活动之间建立了公认的联系，但与生态方面相比，对入侵物种管理的社会层面的探索较少。近年来，当地社区的积极参与，例如评估意识水平和选择社区优先的目标物种，已被视为管理入侵物种的关键要素。我们进行了32个焦点小组讨论（FGD），包括218名尼泊尔中部Chitwan-Annapurna景观（ChAL）的参与者，以评估农业和森林依赖性社区对外来入侵植物（IAP）的了解和看法，记录IAP社区管理的工作并确定IAP的管理优先级。在确定优先次序的过程中，每个FGD的参与者都被要求使用评分方法对三个IAP进行排名，并表达他们对所选IAP对人类和环境的影响的经验。我们发现，社区对某些IAP的到来有一个鲜活的记忆，而他们却不知道IAP的特殊性质。据报告，生物多样性丧失，牲畜中毒，农业生产和草料供应减少以及对森林更新的负面影响是国际行动计划的主要负面影响。据报道，各社区还利用IAP进行医疗用途，利用生物量制作堆肥，并控制洪灾和山体滑坡。在生物多样性保护和环境管理部门工作的政府和非政府组织都没有向当地依赖森林的农业社区通报生物入侵和IAP管理的后果。但是，当地社区已经开始通过手动连根拔起控制某些IAP的传播。他们能够发现，鉴定和优先处理用于管理的IAP，其中一些被优先排序的物种是世界上入侵最严重的物种之一。在农业生态系统中，Ageratum houstonianum是入侵最严重的物种，而在自然生态系统中，Chromolaena odorata和Ageratina adenophora则是排名最差的物种。我们的发现将有助于通过正式的政策和管理计划（例如尼泊尔的国家生物多样性战略和行动计划）来指导社区教育计划以及对IAP的管理。