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Why a lead program is needed

Why a lead program is needed to coordinate invasive plant management in Florida

The Invasive Plant Management Section was designated by the Florida Legislature in 1970 as the lead program  for aquatic plant control with the mandate of a  broad range of environmental preservation and conservation goals.  Because invasive plants range throughout many jurisdictions and that Florida's waterways are mostly interconnected, a lead program is vital in coordinating invasive plant management activities throughout the state.

This lead program approach has proven effective for various reasons:

• establishes a statewide management and resource protection plan
• ensures statewide priority distribution of available funds
• reduces administration; one agency distributes funds to areas of greatest need
• coordinates management operations with water managers and users
• avoids duplication as well as neglect
• ensures consistency in policy, goals, administration, and control methods

Example

There are nearly 1.25 million acres of public lakes and navigable rivers in Florida.  Water- hyacinth was uncontrolled in some of these waters, or in other instances, managed by many agencies with differing or narrowly focused goals.  There was no statewide management direction, funding was inconsistent, and plant populations were out of control as recently as the 1970s.  Water hyacinth has been reduced from 125,000 acres to about 2,000 acres since the program has been coordinated under the direction of the FWC Invasive Plant Management Section.

Last updated: September 22, 2009