Author
Ana C. Faltlhauser
anafaltlhauser@gmail.com
Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas (FuEDEI) / Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Técnica (CONICET)
Hurlingham
Coauthors
Tomás Righetti, Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas (FuEDEI) / Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Técnica (CONICET), Hurlingham, Argentina
Alejandro Sosa, Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Técnica (CONICET), Hurlingham, Argentina
Abstract
Since 2018, a biological control program against Pontederia crassipes has been underway in San Vicente, Buenos Aires, with the planthopper Megamelus scutellaris as a host-specific agent. The program’s success has been driven by a strong inter-institutional network, which has made the strategy effective, socially accepted, and increasingly in demand. As part of an Integrated and Adaptive Management Strategy, the Fundación para el Estudio de Especies Invasivas (FuEDEI), Environmental Secretariat, University of San Vicente, and Technical Education Unit, combined applied research, management actions, and multi–level training. Three mass-rearing facilities were established in schools and reserves, integrated with both formal and informal education programs. Active participation of agrarian and technical schools, a tertiary institute, and local NGOs fostered a sense of ownership and public value. The program’s outreach expanded through the creation of a university diploma and training courses for tourist guides. Notably, schools showed strong interest in participating in scientific initiatives, highlighting a broader gap in effective connections between science and early education. Embedding insect rearing and release practices into the educational system decentralises implementation from researchers, ensures programme continuity despite political changes, shifts demand toward biological control rather than inefficient short-term measures, and promotes scientific and technological transfer. This experience shows that biological control can evolve into local public policy when educational agendas are prioritised.
keywords
biological control demand
Pontederia crassipes
Water hyacinth
environmental education
implementation
Highlights
Megamelus scutellaris effectively controls P. crassipes through local community efforts.
Education at all levels drives uptake, continuity, and public demand for biocontrol.
Collaborative networks promote public engagement and policy integration of biocontrol.