- User Groups and Ecosystems in Florida
That Require the Protection
of
Aquatic Plant Management -
MAIN INDEX
Table: Assets Protected | Table: Water Consumers |
Learn why aquatic weeds are managed on
this page of our web site.
Aquatic plants are good. But invasive non-native aquatic plants are not. As discussed elsewhere on this web site, without management of invasive aquatic weeds that infest about 90% of Florida's public lakes and rivers, boats would not go, people would not swim, fish populations would be stunted, birds would be different, tourists would go elsewhere, agriculture and neighborhoods would be flooded...
More than $70 million per year are spent by public agencies on aquatic plant management in Florida. $70 million protects billions of dollars in public assets, not including the inestimable value of wildlife and the environment. (This cost does not include private management efforts at home and in groves and farms.)We've been doing this in Florida for more than 100 years.
There are more than 100 government agencies and 150 private companies in Florida that manage aquatic and wetland plants.
There are at least 20 significant non-native aquatic plants on the loose in Florida's waters.
User Groups and Ecosystems, Public and Private
$70 Million Protects
Billions
| Users | Importance to Florida |
|---|---|
| EcoTourism | $50.8 billion/yr generated by 75.5 million/yr, including $8 billion in "ecotourism" to Florida's wild and wet places |
| Agriculture | $6.85 billion, food for Florida and the world |
| Swimmers and tubers | Millions of recreational $$ to local economies |
| Boaters | 850,000 registered boats |
| Freshwater Fishing | $1.8 billion in sales and salaries |
| Duck Hunting | Duck hunting generates $34 million each year |
| Aquaculture | $100 million in sales and salaries |
| Transportation | Thousands of bridges protected |
| Commercial navigation | 2 million tons of goods per year |
| Public drinking water | For millions of thirsty citizens and tourists |
| "Recreational irrigation" | Golf courses, parks and water attractions |
| Power generation | Electricity for billions of lights |
| Wildlife | Aquatic animal and plant species, including "listed" species |
| Lakes | 8,000 natural lakes (3 million acres), uncounted man-made ponds |
| Rivers | 1,700 rivers and streams; 12,000 miles of water |
| Canals | Thousands of miles for flood control and irrigation |
| Springs | 600 springs releasing 8,000,000,000 gallons/day |
| Marshes/Swamps | Several million acres of valuable wetlands |
| Users | Groundwater (underground) | Surface water (above ground) | Subtotals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 1528 | 1717 | 3245 |
| Public water supply | 1856 | 210 | 2066 |
| Commercial/Industrial | 438 | 254 | 692 |
| Domestic Use (Household wells) | 297 | 0 | 297 |
| Recreational Irrigation | 196 | 84 | 280 |
| Power Generation | 21 | 615 | 636 |
| Total MGD | 4336 | 2880 | 7216 |
A collaboration of the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants, University of Florida, and the Invasive Plant Management Section of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. This page is maintained by Alison Moss.
