One-quarter of freshwater fauna threatened with extinction

Nature, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Янв. 8, 2025

Abstract Freshwater ecosystems are highly biodiverse 1 and important for livelihoods economic development 2 , but under substantial stress 3 . To date, comprehensive global assessments of extinction risk have not included any speciose groups primarily living in freshwaters. Consequently, data from predominantly terrestrial tetrapods 4,5 used to guide environmental policy 6 conservation prioritization 7 whereas recent proposals target setting freshwaters use abiotic factors 8–13 However, there is evidence 14–17 that such insufficient represent the needs freshwater species achieve biodiversity goals 18,19 Here we present results a multi-taxon fauna assessment The IUCN Red List Threatened Species covering 23,496 decapod crustaceans, fishes odonates, finding one-quarter threatened with extinction. Prevalent threats include pollution, dams water extraction, agriculture invasive species, overharvesting also driving extinctions. We examined degree surrogacy both (water nitrogen) species. good surrogates when prioritizing sites maximize rarity-weighted richness, poorer based on most range-restricted they much better than factors, which perform worse random. Thus, although priority regions identified tetrapod broadly reflective those faunas, given differences key habitats, meeting cannot be assumed sufficient conserve at local scales.

Язык: Английский

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Successes and failures of conservation actions to halt global river biodiversity loss

Опубликована: Янв. 20, 2025

Язык: Английский

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Accelerating environmental flow implementation to bend the curve of global freshwater biodiversity loss

Environmental Reviews, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 32(3), С. 387 - 413

Опубликована: Июль 6, 2023

Environmental flows (e-flows) aim to mitigate the threat of altered hydrological regimes in river systems and connected waterbodies are an important component integrated strategies address multiple threats freshwater biodiversity. Expanding accelerating implementation e-flows can support conservation help restore biodiversity resilience hydrologically water-stressed rivers ecosystems. While there have been significant developments e-flow science, assessment, societal acceptance, within water resource management has slower than required geographically uneven. This review explores critical factors that enable successful outcomes particular, drawing on 13 case studies literature. It presents as adaptive cycle enabled by 10 factors: legislation governance, financial human resourcing, stakeholder engagement co-production knowledge, collaborative monitoring ecological social-economic outcomes, capacity training research, exploration trade-offs among users, removing or retrofitting infrastructure facilitate connectivity, adaptation climate change. Recognising may be barriers limitations full effective enablement each factor, authors identified corresponding options generalizable recommendations for actions overcome prominent constraints, wider The urgency addressing flow-related loss demands networks train empower a new generation practitioners equipped with latest tools insights lead environmental globally. Mainstreaming planning, management, restoration strategies, adaptations change is imperative. policy drivers associated funding commitments Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework offer crucial opportunities achieve benefits contributed nature-based solutions, such flood risk floodplain fisheries restoration, increased

Язык: Английский

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Limited knowledge of national plastics policy effectiveness may hinder global progress

Cambridge Prisms Plastics, Год журнала: 2023, Номер 1

Опубликована: Янв. 1, 2023

Abstract Policy effectiveness is a critical measure for assessing whether policies are working and determining necessary adjustments. However, understanding the of plastic significant gap in toolkit driving solutions to plastics crisis. This review examines evaluations existing tools policy effectiveness. The further identifies barriers before proposing ways forward. Most studies focus on bag bans or taxes, neglecting other instruments. Additionally, these often employ simple attribution approaches, rather than causal inference methods, limiting our ability determine true impact desired outcomes. lack monitoring evaluation hampers knowledge acquisition. global economy measurable success metrics insufficient, hindering design systemic interventions. These findings highlight development with limited information. A more nuanced effective necessary, including harmonised approach evaluations, shared definition effectiveness, use rapid assessment integration into

Язык: Английский

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Bending the curve of global freshwater biodiversity loss: what are the prospects?

Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, Год журнала: 2024, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Сен. 2, 2024

ABSTRACT Freshwater biodiversity conservation has received substantial attention in the scientific literature and is finally being recognized policy frameworks such as Global Biodiversity Framework its associated targets for 2030. This important progress. Nonetheless, freshwater species continue to be confronted with high levels of imperilment widespread ecosystem degradation. An Emergency Recovery Plan (ERP) proposed 2020 comprises six measures intended “bend curve” loss, if they are widely adopted adequately supported. We review evidence suggesting that combined intensity persistent emerging threats become so serious current projected efforts preserve, protect restore inland‐water ecosystems may insufficient avert losses coming decades. In particular, climate change, complex harmful impacts, will frustrate attempts prevent from already affected by multiple threats. Interactions among these limit recovery populations exacerbate declines resulting local or even global extinctions, especially low‐viability degraded fragmented ecosystems. addition impediments represented we identify several other areas where absolute scarcity fresh water, inadequate information predictive capacity, a failure mitigate anthropogenic stressors, liable set limits on biodiversity. Implementation ERP rapidly at scale through many dispersed actions focused regions intense threat, together an intensification ex‐situ efforts, necessary preserve native during increasingly uncertain climatic future which poorly understood, emergent interacting have more influential. But implementation must accompanied improve energy food security humans – without further compromising condition Unfortunately, political policies arrest environmental challenges change do not inspire confidence about possible success ERP. parts world, Anthropocene seems certain include extended periods uncontaminated surface runoff inevitably appropriated humans. Unless there step‐change societal awareness commitment biodiversity, established methods protecting bend curve enough continued degradation loss.

Язык: Английский

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Growth and Diet of Northern Pike (Esox lucius) in Boreal Lakes: Implications for Ecosystem Management

Hydrobiology, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 4(1), С. 1 - 1

Опубликована: Янв. 2, 2025

An important top-down predator, the northern pike (Esox lucius), faces harsh environmental conditions in boreal ecoregion. They are often managed for recreational fishing and, more recently, to create offsets; strategies aimed at balancing ecological impacts by enhancing or restoring habitats. Our study examines populations two remote lakes Alberta: Steepbank and Wappau. The differ size, vegetation cover, trophic status, providing a natural experiment investigating growth, condition, diet, population density. Over three years (2018–2020), were sampled using gill nets. Population metrics, including stomach contents, compared between lakes. Steepbank, smaller, oligotrophic lake with low showed lower prey fish densities larger, eutrophic Wappau, but it did not catch per unit effort. Growth rates body condition varied significantly lakes, Wappau exhibiting faster growth better older age groups, while younger had higher relative weights. A diet analysis revealed significant differences consumption: displayed of conspecific predation invertebrate consumption, particularly classes. These findings highlight how characteristics availability shape dynamics, offering valuable insights management approaches Alberta.

Язык: Английский

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Grasping at water: a gap‐oriented approach to bridging shortfalls in freshwater biodiversity conservation

Biological reviews/Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Май 6, 2025

ABSTRACT Freshwater biodiversity is the fastest declining part of global biota, threatened by multiple stressors including habitat loss and fragmentation, climate change, invasive species, water pollution, abstraction humans. A multitude recent agenda‐setting publications have pointed out key objectives goals for addressing this freshwater crisis, but important gaps must be overcome to reach ambitious conservation targets. In perspective, we complement these high‐level papers in highlighting knowledge, governance, implementation. This gap‐oriented approach designed facilitate meaningful action missing ‘pieces’ process, their connection existing emerging solutions literature. We derive 13 overarching from a conference session informal synthesis literature catalyse research, advocacy, meet post‐2020 Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF). Key include inventory data on biodiversity, collating mobilizing evidence practice, improving coordination ecological governance at scale —including within across catchments—and navigating trade‐offs between economic development, resource consumption, priorities biodiversity. Finally, apply language describing GBF conservation, point which may help address gaps. Major themes that use Nature‐based Solutions Other Effective Area‐based Conservation Measures (OECMs), navigation management human environmental needs, co‐production knowledge with Indigenous local people other stakeholders, integration research aquatic terrestrial ecosystems, funding policy mechanisms support monitoring hydrological scales.

Язык: Английский

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Nutrient enrichment weakens aquatic ecosystem stability via reduced species asynchrony and species richness

Ecological Indicators, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 175, С. 113588 - 113588

Опубликована: Май 13, 2025

Язык: Английский

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Identifying River Corridors for the Implementation of the Network of Green Infrastructure in Spain

Freshwater Biology, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 70(5)

Опубликована: Май 1, 2025

ABSTRACT 1. Spatial–temporal connectivity plays a key role in freshwater ecosystems by maintaining processes such as the transfer of materials and energy, gene exchange, migratory movements necessary for maintenance functional ecosystems. However, these systems has undergone severe modifications over last century, threatening persistence biodiversity ecosystem services they provide. The European Union (EU) acknowledges value important elements landscape need to recover their functionality, not only biodiversity, policy instruments Biodiversity Strategy 2030 or Green Infrastructure Strategy. Priority areas be designated managed corridors. given widespread impacts connectivity, balancing functionality corridors socio‐economic constraints will key. 2. We demonstrate how design network river Spain connect populations fish species, while minimising impact barriers that compromise corridor make its restoration expensive. integrated information on spatial distribution 40 species more than 30.000 along 80.000 km rivers streams identify priority at least 50% all species. ran three different scenarios depict alternative planning interests constraints: (i) an unconstrained scenario, where reaches were equally available part corridor; (ii) Natura 2000 scenario (N2K), connected protected areas; (iii) no dam allowed (NDA), we avoided selecting with dams measured four indicators compare scenarios: number units selected, included, length continuous selected each individually. 3. found optimal always contained barriers. was spatially (22% 26% continuity) less impacted (6.9 2.6 fewer barriers) under N2K NDA scenarios. free from although average across lower other two 4. Our results management coherent integrate Securing restoring lost pose challenge. Spatial can help address this challenge identifying minimise efforts. 5. approach demonstrated here could extended components lateral vertical well features dimensions implicit decisions contextualise exercise, exemplified differences tested, lead very priorities. Therefore, defining objectives deliver solutions fit purpose is critical.

Язык: Английский

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Complex compositional and cellular response of river sediment microbiomes to multiple anthropogenic stressors

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Год журнала: 2024, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Июнь 9, 2024

Rivers face constant anthropogenic stressors, resulting in significant changes microbial community composition. What remains unclear is whether these render the microbiome better adapted to stressed environment. Here, by subjecting 64 river-connected mesocosms multiple we show that sediment microbiomes of small lowland rivers are highly sensitive lowered flow velocity substantially altered compositions not fully capable compensating for stressor effect within two weeks albeit having stable functions encoded metagenomes. Transcriptomics revealed a systematic heat shock response and active, previously unknown anaerobic key stone species with great metabolic versatility. Increases temperature (+3.5 degrees C) or salinity (+0.5 mS/cm) were outcompeted elicited only minor responses at transcriptomic level with, e.g., upregulation photosystem chloroplasts. Following week recovery period, stress vanished completely compared control mesocosms, exemplifying river microbiomes' resilience. We conclude that, given complex both cellular compositional level, maintaining natural vital preventing energy loss reduced activity sediments.

Язык: Английский

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