A quarter of the world's freshwater animals are threatened with extinction.
Although freshwater habitats only cover 1% of the earth's surface, they are home to 10% of all species in the world. They are also essential for billions of people as a source of drinking water, for their livelihoods, for flood control and to mitigate the effects of climate change.
A recently published study in the journal Nature, in which the INBO collaborated, shows that at least 4,294 of the 23,496 species of freshwater fish, dragonflies, crabs and crayfish on the IUCN Red List are threatened with extinction. Although tropical regions have the greatest biodiversity, many endangered species are found in Europe, including Belgium.
Pollution and eutrophication, mainly from agriculture and forestry practices, have an impact on more than half of the endangered species. Freshwater ecosystems are further affected by conversion for agriculture (habitat loss), the lowering of the water table (water extraction) and the construction of weirs and dams that block fish migration routes. Overfishing and the introduction of invasive alien species are also detrimental.
Freshwater fauna and their habitats are usually treated shabbily in policy and management. It is essential that this is included in biodiversity strategies, conservation goals and in water management and policy, to ensure that we achieve healthy freshwater ecosystems. This is not only important for nature, but also for people, who cannot live without water.
Graphic © Sarah Streyle/Conservation International”
Image above: Scarlet dragonfly (photo Lars Soerink - Vildaphoto)
