FWC Home : Wildlife & Habitats : Invasive Plant Management : Mission Statement

About the Section

The Invasive Plant Management Section within the Division of Habitat and Species Conservation of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is the lead agency in Florida responsible for coordinating and funding two statewide programs controlling invasive aquatic and upland plants on public conservation lands and waterways throughout the state. Florida's aquatic plant management program is one of the oldest invasive species removal programs with its beginnings dating back to the late 1800s. With the addition of the upland program, the section oversees the largest invasive plant management program of its kind in the United States. The section also insures that beneficial native aquatic plants in Florida's ponds, lakes, and rivers are protected through its permitting programs.

Brief History of the program

The Section was established by the Florida Legislature in 1970 and placed in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) as the Bureau of Aquatic Plant Research and Control.  When DNR was combined with the Department of Environmental Regulation in 1994, the bureau became the Bureau of Aquatic Plant Management in the new Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).  In 1998, reflecting the addition of invasive upland plant management responsibilities, the bureau changed it's name to the Bureau of Invasive Plant Management.   In 2008, the Florida Legislature moved the bureau from DEP into the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and became the Invasive Plant Management Section.

Section Annual Reports (archive from DEP)