)
)
)
One quarter of freshwater animals at risk of extinction – IUCN Red List
The largest global assessment of freshwater animals on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ to date has revealed that 24% of the world’s freshwater fish, dragonfly, damselfly, crab, crayfish and shrimp species are at high risk of extinction, according to an analysis published in Nature today. The IUCN co-authored study recommends targeted action to prevent further extinctions and calls for governments and industry to use this data in water management and policy measures.
“As the IUCN Red List celebrates its 60th anniversary, it is a stronger barometer of life than ever. Lack of data on freshwater biodiversity can no longer be used as an excuse for inaction,” said Catherine Sayer, IUCN’s Freshwater Biodiversity Lead and lead author on the paper. “Freshwater landscapes are home to 10% of all known species on Earth and key for billions of people’s safe drinking water, livelihoods, flood control and climate change mitigation, and must be protected for nature and people alike. The IUCN World Conservation Congress this October will guide conservation for the next four years, as the world works to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets by 2030. This information will enable policy makers and actors on the ground to plan freshwater conservation measures where they are most needed.”
The study, “One quarter of freshwater fauna threatened with extinction”, found that at least 4,294 species out of 23,496 freshwater animals on the IUCN Red List are at high risk of extinction. The greatest number of threatened species are found in Lake Victoria, Lake Titicaca, Sri Lanka’s Wet Zone and the Western Ghats of India, according to the study. These areas are home to some of the highest freshwater biodiversity in the world, including many species found nowhere else on Earth, and are all investment priorities as outlined by SHOAL’s 1,000 Fishes Blueprint.
Pollution, mainly from agriculture and forestry, impacts over half of all threatened freshwater animals. Freshwater ecosystems are further degraded by land conversion for agricultural use, water extraction and the construction of dams, which also block fish migration routes. Overfishing and the introduction of invasive alien species have had a particularly strong role in driving extinctions. For example, the carp Squalius palaciosi, last seen in 1999, was declared Extinct this year due to habitat loss through the construction of dams and weirs and the introduction of invasive alien species in southern Spain.
The paper found that although the threatened freshwater animals studied tend to live in the same areas as threatened amphibians, birds, mammals and reptiles, they face different threats due to their specific habitats. Conservation action must therefore be targeted to these species.
“Although they live side by side in the Western Ghats, conservation action for tigers and elephants will not help the Critically Endangered Humpbacked Mahseer (Tor remadevii), which is threatened by habitat loss due to river engineering projects and sand and boulder mining, poaching and invasive alien species. Active protection of the river and tributaries where the Humpbacked Mahseer lives is essential to its survival, in addition to fishing regulations and banning the introduction of further invasive alien species”.
– Dr Rajeev Raghavan, South Asia Chair of the IUCN SSC Freshwater Fish Specialist Group and a co-author on the paper.
Crabs, crayfishes and shrimps are at the highest risk of extinction of the groups studied, with 30% threatened, followed by 26% of freshwater fishes and 16% of dragonflies and damselflies. This global freshwater fauna assessment is the result of over 20 years of work by more than 1,000 experts from around the world.
“Freshwater ecosystems and the species they support are often taken for granted, but they are critical to preventing biodiversity loss and securing livelihoods. As we learn more about species living in freshwater habitats around the world, it’s clear that we need to scale efforts to protect them”.
– Dr Chouly Ou, SHOAL US Coordinator.
“It’s easy to see that freshwater ecosystems have been under extreme stress as drinking water becomes limited, droughts intensify and pollution seeps into these habitats. To learn that a quarter of the world’s freshwater species are at high risk of extinction as a result is a deeply troubling trend. This sciences shows what we already feared to be true – freshwater ecosystems and the species that live within them need immediate help. Most threatened freshwater animals like shrimps, crayfish and crabs are small, living unseen beneath the surface but no matter their size, they are essential for keeping healthy the ponds, lakes and rivers that billions of people rely on. Environmental degradation is a risk to their survival and our own. We must take this news seriously and rather than despair, invest energy and resources into conserving these environments – our health, nutrition, drinking water and livelihoods depend on them.”
– Stephanie Wear, Conservation International senior vice president at the Moore Center for Science.
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
