Three leaflets have been prepared to inform people of their presence and the impacts they may have on livelihoods and biodiversity in some parts of the lake edge. We are also trying to make clear that these three invasive plants are capable of spreading from the lake - up rivers and streams and in wetlands where people live and grow crops and raise livestock – where they will also cause problems.
The leaflets mention what we think are reasonable responsibilities of citizens to prevent the spread of these invasive plants and to initiate their sustainable management. In two cases in particular (water hyacinth and creeping sensitive plant) this should be possible using self-sustaining biological control by introducing the plants’ own pests from their homelands (in tropical America). Such “biocontrol agents” are well-tested to make sure they will not affect other plants and are especially helpful in places like lake-edge swamps where people cannot easily venture to establish other forms of management because of crocodiles, hippopotamuses, bilharzia and dangerous currents.