El Salvador’s Lake Suchitlan is overwhelmed by invasive water lettuce which is impacting thousands of families dependent on fishing and tourism.
About Water lettuce:
Water lettuce is a perennial, free-floating aquatic weed found in tropical countries worldwide, including Asia, Africa and equatorial America.
It is also known as water cabbage, Nile cabbage, or shellflower.
Appearance: It is a floating aquatic herb that resembles a floating head of lettuce. It has white to tan, long and feathery roots that hang beneath the rosette of leaves.
It grows best on still or slow moving bodies of fresh water such as farm dams, reservoirs, lakes, rivers and creeks.
Why is it invasive?
It forms dense mats that clog waterways making boating, fishing, and other water activities impossible.
These mats also degrade water quality by blocking the air-water interface and greatly reducing oxygen levels which can result in fish die-off and the overall reduction of aquatic fauna and flora diversity.
Impact on Environment: It affects water flow, damages native ecosystems.
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