Freshwater ecosystems, vital for biodiversity, Mother nature and human livelihoods, are under immense stress. A global assessment published in Nature reveals that 25% of freshwater species, including crustaceans, fish, and odonates, are at risk of extinction. This calls for urgent, tailored conservation efforts beyond relying solely on terrestrial species data.
“Freshwater species are indicators of ecosystem health. Their loss underscores the need for specific conservation strategies tailored to freshwater habitats,” the researchers emphasize.
Key Highlights:
- Global Assessment: Analyzed 23,496 freshwater species for the IUCN Red List, finding one-quarter threatened with extinction.
- Primary Threats: Pollution, dams, water extraction, agriculture, invasive species, and overharvesting are the major drivers of species loss.
- Conservation Gaps: Current reliance on terrestrial species and abiotic factors like water stress fails to adequately represent freshwater conservation needs.
- Surrogacy Insights:
- Threatened tetrapods (e.g., amphibians, reptiles) are effective surrogates for rarity-weighted richness but not for the most range-restricted freshwater species.
- Abiotic factors perform worse than random in predicting freshwater species’ conservation needs.
- Conservation Implications: Priorities for terrestrial species broadly align with freshwater needs, but localized, species-specific strategies are crucial for freshwater biodiversity.
Significance:
This study highlights the inadequacy of existing conservation frameworks in addressing freshwater species’ needs, urging policymakers to integrate freshwater-specific data into biodiversity goals.
Original study: “One-quarter of freshwater fauna threatened with extinction” published in Nature.
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