In the 1960s, when concerned Colombians sought to clean up Lake Fúquene, a high-altitude lake located 80 kilometers north of the country’s capital, they turned to the water hyacinth, known at the time for its idyllic appearance and its reputation for purifying waters. But the water hyacinth is today considered one of the world’s most widespread invasive species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), a global conservation group. It reproduces rapidly, thriving in polluted waterways and quickly displacing native flora. In Lake Fúquene, the plant grew out of control, by 2015 covering nearly 80% of the lake’s 3,000-hectare (12-sq.-mile) surface. The invasive plant has diminished the lake’s oxygen levels and threatens to destabilize the broader Andean wetlands ecosystem, said Jhon Castiblanco, an expert in environmental management and project coordinator at the Autonomous Regional Corporation of Cundinamarca (CAR), the region’s environmental authority. “The... [Log in to read more]