Where there’s a weevil, there’s a way to end giant weed problem

Durie Rainer Fong -October 7, 2021 3:16 PM16Shares 11

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is introducing a beetle species to its lakes and rivers in the hope of clearing them of the salvinia molesta, a type of an invasive aquatic plant.

Chief minister Hajiji Noor lauded the introduction of the Cyrtobagous salviniae weevils, by the state agriculture and fisheries ministry as an environmental-friendly effort to check the Salvinia molesta – or giant salvinia – infestations statewide.

Weevils are beetles that are often considered pests because of their ability to kill crops.

Speaking during the launching of a programme to introduce the bugs to all Sabah districts today, Hajiji said the giant salvinia weeds have infested at least 200 bodies of water such as rivers, waterways, fish ponds and padi fields throughout the state.

“This is a serious situation and has to be addressed immediately,” he said in a statement here.

He added that steps have to be taken to stop the spread of the weed in Kinabatangan, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Tawau, Semporna, Beaufort, Kuala Penyu, Papar, Kota Kinabalu, Penampang, Kota Marudu, Kota Belud, Kudat, Tongod and Tuaran.

Native to Brazil, the Salvinia molesta grows on water surfaces and endangers biodiversity and freshwater species, including fish and submerged aquatic plants.

The weed was first sighted in Sabah in early 2000s.

While it has the potential to treat blackwater effluent for an environmentally friendly sewage system, its rapid growth clogs waterways and blocks sunlight needed by other aquatic plants, particularly algae, to perform photosynthesis.

On the other hand, the weevil is a biological pest control agent for the giant salvinia, or kariba weed, since both adults and larvae feed on the plant.

Hajiji said the state government fully supported the various steps taken by the Sabah agriculture department together with various agencies in monitoring the giant salvinia infestation.

“I call upon the people of Sabah to join in and help keep our bodies of water and environment pristine,” he said.

At the same time, Hajiji said the people must refrain from bringing in, selling or spreading any type of non-native plant, animal or microorganisms without going through the proper quarantine procedures as stipulated in the 1976 Plant Quarantine Act and 1981 Quarantine Regulations.

Giant salvinia can be bought online as decoration for guppy fish aquariums.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, deputy chief minister Jeffrey Kitingan said the giant salvinia is only one of more than 100 invasive alien species (IAS) in Sabah currently.

“The programme today is in accordance with the recommendations of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) which is an international multilateral treaty under the United Nations (UN).

“This convention has been refined and translated into the Sabah Biodiversity Strategy 2012-2022 and the National Biodiversity Policy 2016-2025 policies,” he said.

Kitingan, who is also the state agriculture and fisheries minister, said one of the activities and targets outlined in the existing policies is the control of IAS.

He said Malaysia has also previously encountered invasive foreign species, such as the cocoa pod borer insect which was a pest of cocoa crops in the 1980s and also the golden apple snail which was a pest in rice fields in the 1990s.