Nearly a quarter of animals living in rivers, lakes, and other freshwater habitats face extinction, according to a new study published Wednesday in Nature.
Researchers found that 24 percent of freshwater species––including dragonflies, fish, and crustaceans––are vulnerable, endangered, or critically endangered due to multiple environmental threats.
Why It Matters
Freshwater ecosystems comprise less than 1 percent of the Earth's surface but are home to 10 percent of all known animal species. These habitats include rivers, lakes and wetlands that support half of all fish species and one-third of vertebrates while providing drinking water and climate regulation for billions of people.
These critical ecosystems are under severe strain due to man-made and environmental factors.
What To Know
Researchers analyzed data on over 23,500 freshwater species. Their findings revealed that 30 percent of decapods, such as crabs and shrimp, are at risk, along with 26 percent of fish and 16 percent of dragonfly species. Since 1500, at least 89 freshwater species have been confirmed extinct, with another 178 suspected of disappearing.
Since 1970, 35 percent of wetlands have been lost, a rate three times faster than deforestation. Additionally, 30 percent of the world's long rivers no longer flow freely due to damming and other modifications.
Ecosystems Facing Extinction-Level Threats
Freshwater species are essential for global food security, drinking water, and climate regulation, but their habitats are disappearing faster than forests due to pollution, climate change, invasive species and habitat destruction.
The research highlights the interconnected threats these ecosystems face, emphasizing that the loss of biodiversity in rivers, lakes, and wetlands could destabilize ecological balance and harm billions of people who depend on these resources.
What Are People Saying
Study co-author Patricia Charvet, a biologist at Brazil's Federal University of Ceará: "Huge rivers like the Amazon can appear mighty, but at the same time freshwater environments are very fragile."
Catherine A. Sayer, a co-author and zoologist at the International Union for Conservation of Nature in England: "Most species don't have just one threat putting them at risk of extinction, but many threats acting together."
Duke University ecologist Stuart Pimm, who was not involved in the study, called it "a long-awaited and hugely important paper."
"Almost every big river in North America and Europe is massively modified" through damming, putting freshwater species at risk, he said.
What's Next
The study authors urge global environmental leaders to prioritize freshwater conservation. Immediate actions include reducing pollution, managing invasive species, and protecting water flows, particularly in drought-prone areas.
The study can be viewed in full here.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
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