Abstract:
Over the past 70 years, Salvinia molesta D. S. Mitchell has spread from its native range in Brazil to many tropical and subtropical regions. In Uganda, the plant is established in waterways along the Nile including; Lakes Kyoga, Albert and Kimira covering about 13 districts. In addition, it is expected to continue to expand in areas generally where Eichhornia crassipes Solms persists. Dense mats of S. molesta can suppress growth of native vegetation and degrade water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and numerous other ecological values. These guidelines present some information on the environment factors that contribute to proliferation of S. molesta, and provide recommendations on how these factors can be controlled in order to prevent further spread of the weed in Uganda water bodies.