Eichhornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms: the impacts of water hyacinth in the submédio São Francisco River

Abstract

Invasive species have become the second leading cause of extinction and affect productive sectors in a worrying way. The São Francisco river basin has suffered from the introduction and arrival of exotic species of animals and plants in recent decades. One of them is the Eichhornia Crassipes, which is globally spread and known to be an aggressive invader that has left a history of environmental, social and economic damage in waterways, especially in tropical climates. This work carried out a study about the presence of E. crassipes in the submédio region of the São Francisco River and its impact on some productive sectors. In tourism, bathing areas are closed, causing damage to gastronomical and river tour enterprises. In the production of energy and water supply systems, the presence of the green carpets causes obstructions and blockages in the pumps. In aquaculture, there are production losses and the need for periodic management of the species and isolation of the perimeter of the net-tanks. It is noted that water hyacinth has had successful introduction into the São Francisco River sub-medium region, which has been suffering from the displacement of the staggering growth biomass. So far there are no viable eradication methods for the species, and some control approaches (physical, chemical and biological) have been reported, the most applied in the region being mechanical removal.