Emerging threats and persistent conservation challenges for freshwater biodiversity
Andrea J. Reid,Andrew K. Carlson,Irena F. Creed,Erika J. Eliason,Peter Gell,Pieter T. J. Johnson,Karen A. Kidd,Tyson J. MacCormack,Julian D. Olden,Steve J. Ormerod,John P. Smol,William W. Taylor,Klement Tockner,Jesse C. Vermaire,David Dudgeon,Steven J. Cooke +15 more
TLDR
Efforts to reverse global trends in freshwater degradation now depend on bridging an immense gap between the aspirations of conservation biologists and the accelerating rate of species endangerment.Abstract:
In the 12 years since Dudgeon et al. (2006) reviewed major pressures on freshwater ecosystems, the biodiversity crisis in
the world’s lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams and wetlands has deepened. While lakes, reservoirs and rivers cover only
2.3% of the Earth’s surface, these ecosystems host at least 9.5% of the Earth’s described animal species. Furthermore,
using the World Wide Fund for Nature’s Living Planet Index, freshwater population declines (83% between 1970 and
2014) continue to outpace contemporaneous declines in marine or terrestrial systems. The Anthropocene has brought
multiple new and varied threats that disproportionately impact freshwater systems. We document 12 emerging threats
to freshwater biodiversity that are either entirely new since 2006 or have since intensified: (i) changing climates; (ii)
e-commerce and invasions; (iii) infectious diseases; (iv) harmful algal blooms; (v) expanding hydropower; (vi) emerging
contaminants; (vii) engineered nanomaterials; (viii) microplastic pollution; (ix) light and noise; (x) freshwater salinisation;
(xi) declining calcium; and (xii) cumulative stressors. Effects are evidenced for amphibians, fishes, invertebrates, microbes,
plants, turtles and waterbirds, with potential for ecosystem-level changes through bottom-up and top-down processes.
In our highly uncertain future, the net effects of these threats raise serious concerns for freshwater ecosystems. However,
we also highlight opportunities for conservation gains as a result of novel management tools (e.g. environmental flows,
environmental DNA) and specific conservation-oriented actions (e.g. dam removal, habitat protection policies,managed
relocation of species) that have been met with varying levels of success.Moving forward, we advocate hybrid approaches
that manage fresh waters as crucial ecosystems for human life support as well as essential hotspots of biodiversity and
ecological function. Efforts to reverse global trends in freshwater degradation now depend on bridging an immense gap
between the aspirations of conservation biologists and the accelerating rate of species endangerment.read more
Citations
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Trading-off Fish Biodiversity, Food Security and Hydropower in the Mekong River Basin
TL;DR: This work estimates fish biomass and biodiversity losses in numerous damming scenarios using a simple ecological model of fish migration to find that the completion of 78 dams on tributaries would have catastrophic impacts on fish productivity and biodiversity.
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Bending the Curve of Global Freshwater Biodiversity Loss: An Emergency Recovery Plan.
David Tickner,Jeffrey J. Opperman,Robin Abell,Mike Acreman,Angela Arthington,Stuart E. Bunn,Steven J. Cooke,James Dalton,Will Darwall,Gavin Edwards,Ian Harrison,Kathy A. Hughes,Tim Jones,David Leclère,Abigail J. Lynch,Philip Leonard,Michael E. McClain,Dean Muruven,Julian D. Olden,Steve J. Ormerod,James A. Robinson,Rebecca E. Tharme,Michele Thieme,Klement Tockner,Mark Wright,L. Young +25 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present an emergency recovery plan to bend the curve of freshwater biodiversity loss, which includes accelerating implementation of environmental flows; improving water quality; protecting and restoring critical habitats; managing the exploitation of freshwater ecosystem resources, especially species and riverine aggregates; preventing and controlling nonnative species invasions; and safeguarding and restoring river connectivity.
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Scientists' warning to humanity on insect extinctions
Pedro Cardoso,Philip S. Barton,Klaus Birkhofer,Filipe Chichorro,Charl Deacon,Thomas Fartmann,Caroline Sayuri Fukushima,René Gaigher,Jan Christian Habel,Caspar A. Hallmann,Matthew J. Hill,Axel Hochkirch,Axel Hochkirch,Mackenzie L. Kwak,Stefano Mammola,Stefano Mammola,Jorge Ari Noriega,Alexander B. Orfinger,Alexander B. Orfinger,Fernando Pedraza,James S. Pryke,Fabio de Oliveira Roque,Fabio de Oliveira Roque,Josef Settele,Josef Settele,John P. Simaika,Nigel E. Stork,Frank Suhling,Carlien Vorster,Michael J. Samways +29 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a group of conservation biologists deeply concerned about the decline of insect populations, reviewed what we know about the drivers of insect extinctions, their consequences, and how extinctions can negatively impact humanity.
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