I tend to agree with you about those extremely prolific human vermin who keep building their abodes further and further away from the city. Why can't they simply learn to live more vertically, like they do in NYC???? Sounds enticing - Not!

Seriously, habitat loss will continue to be a problem for all wildlife, not just waterfowl. Unless human population expansion becomes regulated (welcome to China), I suspect that habitat loss will get a lot worse in years to come - and wildlife will repeatedly be forced to adapt or otherwise follow the dodo into oblivion.

In the mean time, just because someone chooses to manage their pond in a manner that doesn't suit your personal taste is no reason to chastise their motives or methods. (BTW: I have nothing against ducks - nor their being harvested for that matter.)

The second half of duckweed's name (i.e., "weed") should indicate how it is commonly viewed. A "weed", by standard definition, is simply a plant growing in an undesirable location or manner. Croton texensis (aka "doveweed") is a terrific food-source for dove. But, it isn't likely that you'd want doveweed to cover your front lawn. So it is with duckweed in the pond depicted in the posted pictures.

If you want duckweed to flourish, simply introduce a flock of domestic ducks into your pond and then provide them with ample amounts of feed. They will quickly concentrate plenty of nutrients within the pond. Transient wild ducks will likely drop by to say "howdy" and probably bring with them some hitchhiking duckweed plants. At that point, mother nature will run her course. It happens frequently.

One thing though; make certain you know what you're getting into before you unleash a plant with duckweed's invasive reputation.