Freshwater ecosystems support an exceptional diversity of life, from fish, amphibians and mollusks to invertebrates and aquatic plants. Despite covering less than 1% of the Earth’s surface, these ecosystems contain around 10% of all described species and one-third of vertebrates. They also deliver vital services to millions of people, including providing clean water, food and climate regulation.
However, since 1970, monitored populations of freshwater species have declined by 85%, largely due to habitat loss and degradation, as well as overfishing and overexploitation, pollution, climate change and invasive species. Even though these species have tremendous value, they have received less global attention than their terrestrial or marine counterparts, threatening a missed opportunity to protect these unique and essential forms of life while we still can.
The latest science demands an urgent halt to and reversal of freshwater biodiversity loss. Preventing the overfishing and overexploitation of freshwater species and promoting their sustainable use are key elements of Target 5 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, as well as other global agreements such as the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.
However, several barriers limit the world’s ability to make progress toward these objectives. For instance, fragmented and inadequate fishery management and governance structures often underrepresent fishers themselves in decision-making processes, which limits effectiveness. Weak policy enforcement and unavoidable impacts from other sectors (for example, water use for agriculture) also further limit the ability to sustainably manage fisheries and prevent overexploitation. Therefore, strengthening local and transboundary governance, improving fisher participation and supporting community-based management will be essential.
Lack of available, geographically representative data on things like catch levels, fishing intensity and prevalence of illegal activities in freshwater fisheries is another major challenge that has inhibited progress. Ever-changing contexts that are further exacerbated by climate change require data to be constantly reevaluated to adequately inform policy, while data deficiencies, along with unattainable data requirements, limit our ability to monitor and assess freshwater species. Furthermore, limited freshwater species and fishery data can mean that many people might not even know that the unique biodiversity in their own country, state or backyard is disappearing.
Ultimately, the world needs a coordinated, well-funded and global effort that prioritizes the conservation of freshwater species by halting overfishing and overexploitation and ensuring that their use is sustainable. This should include policy that incentivizes sustainable use of freshwater species, co-management efforts and compliance with international treaties.
Join us on August 13 for a high-level discussion on the state of the global freshwater system and the urgent actions needed to accelerate change.
