[APWG] Kudzu in Costa Rica

[Joe Franke]

Estimado CATIE Staff:

I have an immediate concern with which I¹m hoping you or others might be
able to provide some guidance and/or suggestions.

Some years ago I did an ecological restoration and ecotourism planning
assessment for a well known ecolodge operator on the Atlantic versant in
Costa Rica. I was horrified to find several acres of Kudzu (Pueraria lobata)
growing on his property right by a tributary of one of the largest river
systems in the country. Apparently his father planted it as an experimental
cattle feed and then abandoned the project. I suggested in the strongest
terms that he make a concerted effort to get rid of it, as this was a
ticking time bomb for the entire country.

I just heard that as of several years later, all they¹d been doing is
cutting it back and occasionally spraying it with herbicide, but that they
still had not done anything else to properly address the problem as I had
suggested, i.e. consistently over at least a couple of years cut, compost
and ³paint² a concentrated herbicide on the stumps and other suggested means
of control/eradication that I had strongly suggested they get on
immediately. He refuses to do anything about it at this point, and I¹m
starting to wonder if it¹s my duty to alert the authorities, whoever that
would be, to force him to get rid of the plant. It¹s already completely
choked all other life out of several hectares of land, and the fact that the
patch is on a flood-prone river spells potential disaster.

I think that he would like to sell the property at some point, in which case
the new owner might do even less to control the Kudzu.

What should be done?

Saludos, 

Joe Franke



Joe Franke
Sapo Gordo Ecological Restoration Services
1228 Lafayette Dr. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87106 USA
ph: 505-515-8736
Sapogordoeco at comcast.net



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