A newly acquired aquatic harvester from the Netherlands has been funded by the Environmental Fund and the Institute for the Conservation of Nature and Forests (ICNF).
This new equipment is set to replace the previous 18-year-old harvester used at the Pateira de Fermentelos and loaned to other municipalities for similar tasks on different rivers.
The local government highlighted that the new harvester will boost the municipality’s capacity and effectiveness in managing and removing the invasive species.
“We managed to acquire a more modern piece of equipment with a greater capacity for removing this aquatic vegetation, which is extremely harmful to the sustainability of ecosystems and the survival of native species in our Pateira,” remarked Mayor Jorge Almeida, with the approval of 700,000 euros in funding.
The mayor acknowledged the complexity of removing water hyacinths, noting the challenge of completely eradicating this invasive species.
Pateira de Fermentelos, the largest natural lagoon on the Iberian Peninsula, spans the municipalities of Águeda, Oliveira do Bairro, and Aveiro, and is known for its rich biodiversity.
In recent years, there has been an unchecked proliferation of water hyacinths (‘Eichhornia crassipes’), leading to severe consequences for the ecosystem balance, such as obstructing gas exchanges between water and air, which can result in the death of native flora and fauna.
