Invasive Plant Management

Invasive plants degrade and diminish Florida's conservation lands and waterways.  Some invasive aquatic plants pose a significant threat to human welfare by impeding flood control and affecting recreational use of waterways and its associated surrounding economy.  The Invasive Plant Management Section is the lead agency in Florida responsible for coordinating and funding two statewide programs controlling invasive aquatic and upland plants on public conservation lands and waterways throughout the state. The section also insures that beneficial native aquatic plants in Florida's ponds, lakes, and rivers are protected through its permitting programs and funding research to find more cost effective management techniques.

Public Services, Field Operations, and FAQs

• Need an aquatic plant permit?
• Need to contact a FWC regional biologist about an aquatic plant problem?
• Frequently asked questions
• Triploid Grass Carp Permit
• Additional information

Aquatic Plant Management
The program designs, funds, coordinates, and contracts invasive non-native aquatic plant control efforts.

Upland Plant Management
The program addresses local upland invasive plant management issues on public conservation lands and funds individual invasive plant removal projects on public conservation lands.

What's New

• Hydrilla Management Position Paper
  For additional information see Background Information on the Hydrilla Management Position.
• Marine Algae Weed Alert! (250KB)
• Weed Alert -- Have you seen this plant?   Salvinia molesta?

Invasive Plant Photo of the Month: Air potato vine

A native to tropical Asia, air potato, Dioscorea bulbifera, was introduced into the Americas from Africa, where it is naturalized, and in 1905, introduced into Florida.  It forms unique or novel habitats by forming dense canopies over native tree communities causing them to become degraded and diminished.  It was placed on the Florida Noxious Weed List by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in 1999.

The historical Aspects of  Invasive Plant Management in Florida

Florida's aquatic plant management program is one of the oldest invasive species removal programs with its beginnings dating back to the late 1800s.  South American floating waterhyacinths were introduced into the St. Johns River near Palatka in the late 1880s and soon after made navigation on the river for steamboat traffic almost impossible.  Later, a 1950s plant invader, hydrilla (a native of Southeast Asia), begin to infest and degrade Floridas's lakes and rivers when it produced dense canopies at the surface.  Begining in the 1960s, the Australian melaleuca tree and the South American Brazilian pepper tree began to rapidly spread into and on South Florida's conservation lands.  These non-native invasive plants along with others now impact approximately 1.5 million acres of Florida.  With the addition of the upland program, the section oversees the largest invasive plant management program of its kind in the United States.