Invasive Species Control
Ludwigia Management Plan
Ludwigia is an aquatic weed, originally from South America that is now expanding throughout the wetlands of the Laguna watershed. The Ludwigia invasion has caused concern among land managers and public agencies because it is dramatically reducing biodiversity, altering wetland function and providing protective habitat for mosquitoes.
Sonoma County agencies and officials became aware of the Ludwigia crisis in 2002, after Mosquito and Vector Control officers found off-scale mosquito densities in the Laguna Wildlife Area owned by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG). They shortly identified a second Ludwigia/mosquito hot-spot in flood-control channels owned and managed by the Sonoma County Water Agency (SCWA).
Ludwigia Task Force
To address this crisis, the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation convened a Ludwigia Task Force in January of 2003 to evaluate control options and to expedite the exchange of information and address regulatory issues. The Task Force included representatives from the CDFG; SCWA; Mosquito and Vector Control; the Regional Water Quality Control Board; the Department of Health Services; the Agricultural Commissioner; and NOAA fisheries; as well as researchers from USDA-ARS and Sonoma State University; representatives from local governments; and members of the environmental community.
In October 2004, the Ludwigia Task Force came to consensus on a Ludwigia Control Strategy, which included both long-term and interim control objectives. This recommendation was the basis for the Invasive Ludwigia Management Plan, which is a living document, updates as conditions change.
See the Task Force’s final recommendations
Ludwigia Task Force Recommendations
Read the latest Ludwigia Management Plan
(updated 3/23/06)
Invasive Ludwigia Management Plan
Progress on controlling invasive Ludwigia in the Laguna
Ludwigia Status Reports
Other Ludwigia links
European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization 
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