Invasive Species

Winning the war against invasives

Five years of funding put to good use against harmful aquatic plants.

After utilizing five years of enhanced legislative funding, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and its partners report significant achievements in combating invasive aquatic plants.

TPWD currently manages these plants on more than 50 water bodies around the state; 60,000 acres of giant salvinia, 6,000 acres of water hyacinth and nearly 1,000 acres of other species of aquatic plants have been treated. Nearly 1.5 million giant salvinia weevils were introduced as biological controls.

New projects to manage river and creekside invasive plants have also been implemented, offering control of problematic Arundo and saltcedar to more than 425 landowners and making great progress in restoring these habitats.

Nationwide, the annual economic impact of all invasive species in the U.S. has reached approximately $219 billion, with global impacts estimated at over $4 trillion.

Prevention is widely recognized as the front line in the fight.

“The ‘Clean, Drain and Dry’ campaign reminds boaters that they have the power to protect the lakes we love from invasive species,” says Brian Van Zee, TPWD Inland Fisheries regional director. “By taking these three simple steps, boaters can stop the spread.”

Science plays a key role in supporting statewide monitoring and management efforts.

For Texas to keep pace with the constant and ever-evolving problems associated with aquatic invasive species, it is critically important to continue to invest in targeted control, prevention, monitoring and research efforts.

Read the full five-year report at bit.ly/aquatic-invasives; learn more at TexasInvasives.org.