Efforts from government officials and community leaders helped revive the local economy around a major tributary in South Africa after they cleared it of invasive plants.
The Citizen reported that the tourism industry around the Vaal River Barrage Reservoir, which borders several provinces, invested 10 million rands (about $576,000) to clear the river smothered by water lettuce and hyacinth.
According to the Independent Online, the monthslong cleanup reduced the invasive species coverage from 398 hectares to less than 1 hectare (about 1,000 acres to less than three).
Rosemary Anderson, the chairperson for FEDHASA, South Africa's association for the hospitality industry, told the IOL that crews "physically extracted" the plants from January to July.
"Eventually, in winter, it was possible to see clear water and for the majority of the water body to be free of free-floating invasive species," Vaal River project manager Leslie Hoy said, per the IOL.
The obscured waters effectively shut down businesses, preventing the region from attracting visitors for its robust boating, fishing, and hospitality sectors.
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"The losses suffered by businesses during that time run into hundreds of millions maybe. It was devastating," Anderson said.
"The scourge of water lettuce and water hyacinth [was] fueled by relentlessly high levels of polluted water in the catchment of the Vaal River," Hoy added.
Both aquatic weeds are native to South America and can form dense mats that deplete nutrients and resources from bodies of water that other species need to survive. They can also clog water infrastructure, restrict recreational activities, and reduce biodiversity.
That's what made this project — like those that removed phragmites from the shores of Utah Lake and pennywort from the River Weaver in Winsford, England — a worthwhile endeavor that will pay dividends for the ecosystem and economy.
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While the community celebrated the reopening of the Vaal River this month, local organizations will implement a "proactive and preventative program" to keep the river free of invasive species, per the IOL.
"The template for this successful collaboration of the private sector with government entities in the successful removal of invasive aquatic weed can hopefully be emulated at many other water sources in South Africa who face this similar challenge," Hoy said.
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