Abstract
Invasions of water bodies by floating vegetation, including water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes), are a huge global problem for fisheries, hydropower generation, and transportation. We analyzed floating plant coverage on 20 reservoirs across the world's tropics and subtropics, using > 30 year time-series of LANDSAT remote-sensing imagery. Despite decades of costly weed control, floating invasion severity is increasing. Floating plant coverage correlates with expanding urban land cover in catchments, implicating urban nutrient sources as plausible drivers. Floating vegetation invasions have undeniable societal costs, but also provide benefits. Water hyacinths efficiently absorb nutrients from eutrophic waters, mitigating nutrient pollution problems. When washed up on shores, plants may become compost, increasing soil fertility. The biomass is increasingly used as a renewable biofuel. We propose a more nuanced perspective on these invasions moving away from futile eradication attempts towards an ecosystem management strategy that minimizes negative impacts while integrating potential social and environmental benefits. Show more
Permanent link
https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000431282Publication status
publishedExternal links
Journal / series
AmbioVolume
Pages / Article No.
Publisher
SpringerSubject
Biological invasions; Dams; Google earth engine; Land cover change; Urbanization; Water-energy-food nexusOrganisational unit
03328 - Wehrli, Bernhard / Wehrli, Bernhard
03723 - Ghazoul, Jaboury / Ghazoul, Jaboury
02350 - Dep. Umweltsystemwissenschaften / Dep. of Environmental Systems Science
03473 - Burlando, Paolo / Burlando, Paolo
Funding
690268 - Use of a Decision-Analytic Framework to explore the water-energy-food NExus in complex and trans-boundary water resources systems of fast growing developing countries. (SBFI)
Related publications and datasets
Is supplemented by: https://doi.org/10.3929/ethz-b-000420432
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