Freshwater species face dire threats, new study warns

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Freshwater environments, although covering only 1% of the Earth’s surface, host more than 10% of known species. However, like many marine and terrestrial ecosystems, they face significant challenges. A recent study on freshwater habitats highlights the critical state of their biodiversity.

Researchers assessed the status of 23,496 species of freshwater animals, including fish, crustaceans such as crabs, crayfish and shrimp, and insects such as dragonflies and damflies, with 24 percent of them at high risk of extinction.

“Current threats include pollution, dams and water releases, agriculture and invasive species, including over-harvesting, which is leading to extinction,” said conservationist Catherine Sayer, who led the study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature. is the lead author of

Sear heads the Freshwater Biodiversity Unit at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the organization that tracks the status of species globally.

Some of the freshwater species that are considered more endangered have exotic names such as the mini blue bay shrimp of Sulawesi, the discoverer dragonfly of the Seychelles, the Atlantic helicopter damselfly of Brazil, the daisy blowing crayfish of Arkansas and the Oregon And fishes like sukran. Mohsirs of California and Humpbacked India

This study fills a data gap on freshwater biodiversity. The species studied were chosen because their diverse positions in food webs provide a comprehensive view of the health of freshwater ecosystems globally.

Some of the freshwater species that are considered more endangered have exotic names such as the mini blue bay shrimp of Sulawesi, the discoverer dragonfly of the Seychelles, the Atlantic helicopter damselfly of Brazil, the daisy blowing crayfish of Arkansas and the Oregon And fishes like sukran. Mohsirs of California and Humpbacked India

This study fills a data gap on freshwater biodiversity. The species studied were chosen because their diverse positions in food webs provide a comprehensive view of the health of freshwater ecosystems globally.

The species lives in inland waterways such as lakes, rivers, marshes, swamps and peatlands — areas that researchers say have declined by more than a third since the 1970s. Other research has documented the status of mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians that share them. freshwater ecosystems and often face their own unique risks.

Among the animal groups investigated in the new study, the highest level of risk was recorded in crustaceans (30% at risk), followed by fish (26%) and dragonflies and damflies (16 %).

“Freshwater ecosystems are ecologically important because of the diversity of species they support,” said Ian Harrison, a freshwater conservation expert at Northern Arizona University. may be confined to those systems – a lake or a pond or a stream,” said Ian Harrison, a freshwater conservation expert at Northern Arizona University. Member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission and co-author of the study.

“They are also important in terms of the ecosystem services they provide: carbon sequestration in terms of peat bogs; food in terms of fisheries; medicine from plants; as well as cultural and aesthetic values. Freshwater reeds are some Freshwater ecosystems contribute $50 trillion a year to human well-being by providing natural processes, said Harrison.

The researchers identified four locations around the world where the largest freshwater species are threatened: Lake Victoria in Africa, Lake Tetica in South America, and areas of western India and Sri Lanka.

Lake Victoria, the world’s second largest freshwater lake by surface area, borders Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The main threats identified to the species are pollution, overfishing, agriculture and invasive species, particularly Nile perch and water hyacinth. Lake Titicaca is located in the Andes on the border of Peru and Bolivia. It faced threats like Lake Victoria. A rich diversity of fish is found in both the lakes.

“There is an urgent need to focus on freshwater conservation to prevent species decline, and this can be achieved through more integrated management of water resources that may include maintenance of ecosystem functions so that “Clearly human needs can be met. Water,” Harrison said.

“The particular value of this study is that it shows us which river basins, lakes, etc., are where the conservation challenges are most pressing and serious,” Harrison added. “And we can compare that to what we know about existing protections, and identify where there are gaps and where there are protection needs. And that as a baseline of information. works on so we can track progress, to see if our actions are mitigating risks.”