Control of Exotic Aquatic Weeds in Rivers and Coastal Lagoons to Enhance and Restore Biodiversity

The infestation of bodies of water by invasive aquatic plants (IAP) initially observed in the early 1980s is now reaching alarming proportions. The main invasive species is Eichhornia crassipes but Salvinia molesta and Pistia stratiotes have also been observed, as have other species (lotus, nymphaea, etc.). These weeds are seriously impacting the life of the riparian human population. They also pose a threat to aquatic life. Some fresh water bodies are entirely covered. Aquatic life is also impacted by chemical shock in the lagoons' brackish water where large quantities of water hyacinth are carried by floods and accumulate to rot. It is necessary to preserve the very rich but as yet little known biodiversity of the Ivorian aquatic ecosystems.