{ "abstract": "Water hyacinth is among the world's most damaging aquatic invasive plants, forming dense mats that disrupt ecosystem functioning, fisheries, navigation, and livelihoods across tropical and subtropical freshwater systems. Its rapid spread is driven by clonal propagation, short life cycles, and prolific seed production, particularly under nutrient-enriched conditions. Although mechanical, chemical, and biological control methods are widely applied, their long-term effectiveness remains uncertain when underlying eutrophication persists. Here, we present a large-scale, one-time water hyacinth removal campaign in Lake Tana, Ethiopia's largest lake and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, as a representative nutrient-rich tropical freshwater system. Using high-resolution satellite imagery, we quantified coverage one month before removal, one month after removal, and one year later. We integrated SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis with a socio-ecological system map to assess mitigation mechanisms and identify sustainable management pathways capable of providing long-term solutions to halt water hyacinth proliferation in freshwater bodies. The campaign removed over 75% (~1271 ha) of water hyacinth, yet within one year the plant resurged to levels ~18% higher than pre-removal. This rebound highlights the ecological resilience of water hyacinth and the limitations of short term, noncontinuous control strategies. Our analysis identifies unmanaged catchment nutrient inputs as the primary driver of proliferation. Lake Tana serves as a model system demonstrating that water hyacinth functions less as a traditional invader and more as a bioindicator of eutrophication. We propose a transferable conceptual and methodological framework combining continuous removal, catchment-based nutrient management, and circular bioeconomy approaches, offering globally relevant lessons for sustainable management of nutrient-enriched tropical freshwater systems.", "abstract_shown": true, "affiliations": [ "Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. desdchala@gmail.com", "Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. desdchala@gmail.com", "Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. desdchala@gmail.com", "Department of Landscape Monitoring, Survey and Statistics Division, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Ås, Norway", "Department of Economics and Society, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Ås, Norway", "Division of Biotechnology and Plant Health, Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO), Ås, Norway", "Faculty of Science and Technology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ås, Norway", "Department of Biology, Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia", "Lake Tana and Other Waterbodies Protection and Development Agency, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia", "Department of Geography, System Dynamics Group, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway", "Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Research Aquatic Biosecurity, Bergen, Norway", "Department of Natural Resource Management, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia", "Threatened Species Conservation (TSC), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia", "School of Earth, Environment & Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada", "Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark", "Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden", "Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark", "Aarhus Institute for Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark", "Center for Ecological Dynamics in a Novel Biosphere (ECONOVO), Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark" ], "article_type": null, "arxiv": null, "author_total": 14, "authors": [ { "affs": [ 0, 1, 2 ], "name": "Desalegn Chala", "orcid": "0000-0002-8045-6950" }, { "affs": [ 3 ], "name": "Diress Tsegaye", "orcid": "0000-0002-6854-5977" }, { "affs": [ 4 ], "name": "Habtamu Alem", "orcid": "0000-0002-9722-5374" }, { "affs": [ 5 ], "name": "Belachew Asalf", "orcid": "0000-0002-1436-3617" }, { "affs": [ 6 ], "name": "Melesse Eshetu Moges" }, { "affs": [ 7 ], "name": "Nega Tassie", "orcid": "0000-0002-7352-496X" }, { "affs": [ 8 ], "name": "Ayalew Wondie", "orcid": "0000-0009-3601-9981" }, { "affs": [ 9, 10 ], "name": "Aklilu Tilahun Tadesse" }, { "affs": [ 11, 12 ], "name": "Abebayehu Aticho", "orcid": "0000-0002-9366-250X" }, { "affs": [ 13 ], "name": "Alemu Gonsamo", "orcid": "0000-0002-2461-618X" }, { "affs": [ 14, 15, 16 ], "name": "Lanhui Wang" }, { "affs": [ 14, 16 ], "name": "Erick J. Lundgren", "orcid": "0000-0001-9893-3324" }, { "affs": [ 17, 16 ], "name": "Jeffrey Taylor Kerby", "orcid": "0000-0002-2739-9096" }, { "affs": [ 14, 18, 16 ], "name": "Jens‐Christian Svenning", "orcid": "0000-0002-3415-0862" } ], "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5d3jzyrpt4hmp.bib", "cited_by": 9, "doi": "10.1007/s00267-026-02494-1", "fulltext_url": null, "id": "5d3jzyrpt4hmp", "issns": [ "0364-152X", "1432-1009" ], "landing_url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-026-02494-1", "language": "en", "licence": "CC-BY", "licence_label": "CC BY", "licence_source": "journal", "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/", "metadata_licence": null, "native_subjects": [ [ "openalex", "1109|Biological Control of Invasive Species" ] ], "openalex": "W7161828190", "pdf_url": "https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00267-026-02494-1.pdf", "pmcid": "PMC13190500", "pmid": "42159753", "published": "2026-05-20", "publisher": "Springer Science+Business Media", "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5d3jzyrpt4hmp.ris", "sources": [ { "first_seen": "2026-11-01T13:20:14Z", "native_id": "W7161828190", "source": "openalex", "url": "https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-026-02494-1" } ], "subjects": [ { "field": "biology", "origin": "openalex:1109|Biological Control of Invasive Species", "subfield": "zoology-behaviour" } ], "title": "Beyond Removal: Strategies for Sustainable Control of Water Hyacinth in Tropical Freshwater Ecosystems", "title_text": "Beyond Removal: Strategies for Sustainable Control of Water Hyacinth in Tropical Freshwater Ecosystems", "type": "peer-reviewed", "updated_at": "2026-11-09T13:21:08Z", "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/5d3jzyrpt4hmp", "venue": "Environmental Management", "versions": [] }