Th e invasion of exotic species is considered to be a major threat to the preservation of biodiversity. In the Parque Nacional de Brasília (National Park of Brasília), the invasive Melinis minutifl ora (molasses grass) occupies more than 10 % of the area of the park. Th e present, long-term, study compared two treatments of exposure to molasses grass: 1) fi re and 2) integrated management (fi re + herbicide sprays + manual removal). Th e aerial biomass of molasses grass in the experimental area initially represented ca. 55 % of the total aerial biomass, a percentage that apparently did not infl uence native plant species richness at this site. Fire alone was not suffi cient to control molasses grass, which attained its pre-treatment biomass values after two years. Integrated management reduced, and maintained, biomass to less than 1 % of its original value after ten years, and maintained this level throughout the study, demonstrating that it is a promising strategy for the recovery of areas invaded by molasses grass in the Cerrado. However, because of the recolonization by molasses grass, long-term monitoring eff orts are targeting outbreaks, which would require immediate intervention in order to maintain the native biological diversity of the region.

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