Harnessing the Power of Water Hyacinth

About The Project ~ Invasive Water Hyacinths: A Study & Circular Economy Accelerator

The same rapid growth that makes water hyacinth a threat also makes it a resource. It can become woven furniture, brake pads, fertiliser, bioenergy, animal feed, and bioplastics, and Project Hyacinthesis exists to put that potential into local hands. Supported by Lanka Environment Fund and delivered by local business accelerator Foundation for a Good Life, part of the Good Life X Hub, the project works with the artisans and small businesses already harvesting the plant, so that clearing waterways can also support livelihoods.

A scoping study, completed in December 2025, mapped the businesses, vendors, and community organisations working with water hyacinth. In April 2026, six of them, based across Colombo, Hambantota, Jaffna, and Kurunegala, joined the first cohort of the Business Accelerator Programme. Each received an individual diagnostic, and five were given seed funding of up to LKR 500,000 (around £1,100) for what they needed most: handloom and sewing machines, scales, a fabric cutter, and a tractor repair.

Between May and September 2026, the team ran six workshops, backed by one-to-one online mentoring, on subjects from supply chains to digital bookkeeping. In one, business owners were paired with students from the City School of Architecture to design product prototypes together. In another, they visited four established Sri Lankan retailers, Pendi, LadyJ, Selyn, and Barefoot, and heard from their founders about building a business rooted in the local community.

Donations from the partnership have far exceeded initial expectations, allowing the project to grow beyond its original scope. Lanka Environment Fund is now also working with the Federation of Environmental Organisations in two of Sri Lanka’s national parks, Horton Plains and Wasgamuwa, where local community members are employed to uproot gorse, water hyacinth, and giant salvinia by hand, using low-impact methods. The aim is to clear 180 hectares of gorse from Horton Plains, and four water bodies in Wasgamuwa, by May 2027.

In 2027, a second Cohort will launch with a focus on using water hyacinth at a more industrial scale; investigating and developing biochar, biofertiliser, packaging and material innovation. This will take the project to a whole new scale.

We are proud to support key local initiatives that mean our work and your journey can give back to the land, the ecosystems and the people that support it.

Impacts on Local Wildlife

The removal of water hyacinth has several positive impacts on wildlife. By clearing dense mats of this invasive plant, native plant species can be restored in water bodies, which improves feeding and nesting grounds for native and migrant birds. For other larger mammals like the Asian elephant, the removal of water hyacinth improves access to water sources, which is especially critical during the dry periods of the year.

Additionally, clearing the invasive plant helps enhance water quality and oxygen levels, supporting fish and amphibian populations that many bird species rely on for food. Using an invasive plant that currently clogs essential water bodies for both wildlife and humans as a resource for circularity can promote accelerated interventions in water restoration. All in all, contributing towards healthier, more accessible and more biodiverse ecosystems.

In Wasgamuwa National Park, the aim is to clear four water bodies of water hyacinth and giant salvinia by May 2027, targeting Kok Ebey, Wavul Ebey, Kadurupitiya Wewa, and Yudhaganawa Wewa. Open water returns to the park, and routine maintenance clearances help keep the plants from coming back. In Horton Plains, the same careful, low-impact approach is clearing 180 hectares of gorse, with local community members employed to do the work.

About Lanka Environment Fund

Established in 2019, the Lanka Environment Fund is a not- for-profit organisation that supports conservation initiatives in Sri Lanka, by acting as a conduit for international funding and awarding grants to maximise local impact. As conservation administrators, the cornerstone of their mission is empowering local communities, supported by investment in the local environment. The independent and agile nature of the LEF allows them to direct funds to local community groups best placed to deliver the greatest benefits for nature, in the places they know and love.

Among their most established grantees is the Federation of Environmental Organisations, which now leads the removal of invasive species in Horton Plains and Wasgamuwa National Parks, with support from our partnership.