Floristic Inventory of Invasive Alien Aquatic Plants Found in Molondo, Mipongo and Japan Islands of the Pool Malebo in Congo River, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Aim: To make a floristic inventory and identify invasive aquatic alien plant species found in the Pool Malebo and their behavior along with their impacts on their habitat.

Study Design: A combination of reasoned sampling and simple random sampling to select different sites from which samples of the riparian flora were collected.

Site and Duration of the Study: This study was carried out in three different islands as follow: Molondo, Mipongo and Japon islands in the Pool Malebo located in Kinkole, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This study was conducted in August 2020.

Methodology: The sample collection was carried out after direct observation. Using a motorized canoe, we docked on islands for sample collection as well as in the swampy areas of the Kinkole Islands. We also collected invasive species in the middle of the Congo River. The recorded species were classified either as alien species or as invasive alien species depending on the status in the study region. The botanical classification of species was performed according to APG III. Environmental impacts were also considered.

Results: Among the collected specimens, 12 species were recognized as exotic and 2 species were found to be invasive alien species, of which Echinochloa pyramidalis and Eichhornia crassipes. These species pose a serious threat from the erosion of aquatic biodiversity and may form a monospecific mat and eliminate native or autochthonous species from the aquatic or riparian flora.

Conclusion: The invasion of alien species is a consequence of human activities and a concern, as they affect all sectors of the society. The invasion of these species presents a challenge for environmentalists, economists, social scientists, agricultural engineers, and others. Henceforth, the need to develop and implement robust risk analysis frameworks and environmental impact assessments.