Invasion of Piper aduncum in the shifting cultivation systems of Papua New Guinea: Foreword by David Pimentel

Piper aduncum, a shrub native to Central America, arrived in Papua New Guinea before the mid-1930s possibly from West Papua. From the 1970s it started to dominate the secondary fallow vegetation in many parts of the humid lowlands. It invaded grassland areas and it also appeared in the highlands up to 2100 m. The combination of its small and abundant seeds, its high growth rates, and the accidental or intentional spreading has resulted in its presence in most provinces of Papua New Guinea. The spread will continue.