Biology and Control of Aquatic Plants: A Best Management Practices Handbook is the fourth edition of a handbook produced by the not for profit Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration Foundation (AERF). The mission of the AERF is to support research and development which provides strategies and techniques for the environmentally and scientifically sound management, conservation and restoration of aquatic ecosystems. One way the Foundation accomplishes this mission is by producing this handbook to provide information to the public regarding the benefits of aquatic ecosystem conservation and aquatic plant management. The first, second and third editions of this handbook became some of the most widely consulted references in the aquatic plant management community. This fourth edition has been specifically designed with water resource managers, water management associations, homeowners and customers and operators of aquatic plant management companies and districts in mind. Our goal in preparing this handbook is to provide basic, scientifically sound information to assist decision-makers with their water management questions.

There is a growing need for appropriate management of aquatic plants in rivers and canals, lakes and reservoirs, and drainage channels and urban waterways. This management must be based on a sound knowledge of the ecology of freshwater plants, their distribution and the different forms of control available including chemical and physical, and biological and biomanipulation. This series of papers from over 20 different countries was generated from the tenth in the highly successful series of European Weed Research Society symposia on aquatic plant management, this being the tenth. It provides a valuable insight into the complexities involved in managing aquatic systems, discusses state-of-the-art control techniques and deals with patterns of regrowth and recovery post-management. Careful consideration is given to the use of chemicals, a practice which has come under scrutiny in recent years. Underpinning the development of such control techniques is a growing body of knowledge relating to the biology and ecology of water plants. The authorship of the papers represents the collective wisdom of leading scientists and experts from fisheries agencies, river authorities, nature conservation agencies, the agrochemical industry and both governmental and non-governmental organisations.