Can Pioneer Become Invasive?

In restoration, seeds and other propagules should be used from local sources to achieve the goals. Other research results showed that management of invasive and native plants could lead to improve efficacy of restoration efforts. This study aimed to report the status of plant species that invaded six coal mine overburden dumping sites. Line transects was used to investigate species composition and the characteristics of six coal mine overburden dumping sites in tropical climate. The grouping of invasive and non-invasive species used references. Data were analyzed descriptively. A total of 123 plant species invaded coal mine overburden on early succession, and 56 of them were classified as invasive species. Most plants grouped as invasive species, in fact, were pioneer. This incongruity might be caused by invasive viewed as anthropogenic perspective; always associated with human health and economic structure. Pioneer arrived and grew quickly on very poor substrata; their dominance only at certain times and showed their role in facilitating subsequent vegetation development. These life history-traits of a species, in ecological approach, were termed as pioneer in the process of primary succession in former coal mining areas in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Pioneer can be used to accelerate succession.