A Global Agenda for Advancing Freshwater Biodiversity Research

Abstract

Freshwater biodiversity is declining dramatically, and the current biodiversity crisis requires defining bold goals and mobilizing substantial resources to meet the challenges. While the reasons are varied, both research and conservation of freshwater biodiversity lag far behind efforts in the terrestrial and marine realms. We identify fifteen pressing global needs to support informed global freshwater biodiversity stewardship. The proposed agenda aims to advance freshwater biodiversity research globally as a critical step in improving coordinated action towards its sustainable management and conservation.

Figure 1 from: Delocado ED, Freitag H (2021) Two new species of Byrrhinus Motschulsky, 1858 (Coleoptera, Limnichidae, Limnichinae) from Negros, Philippines. ZooKeys 1070: 51-72. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1070.70531

“…Entomofaunal diversity has been experiencing a tremendous decline in both local (Hallmann et al 2021;Warren et al 2021) and global scales (Sánchez-Bayo and Wyckhuys 2019), with catastrophic impacts on the current ecosystem services (Faridah-Hanum et al 2018;Wagner et al 2021). Especially in time of accelerated biodiversity decline, coupling morphological and molecular data is essential in fast-tracking species discovery particularly in highly cryptic and highly diverse taxa (Tänzler et al 2014;Platania et al 2020;Maasri et al 2021). In such cases, proper taxonomic identification of cryptic taxa using an integrative approach has been shown to be essential in mapping appropriate conservation measures (Arribas et al 2013).…”

Grand Challenges to Support the Freshwater Biodiversity Emergency Recovery Plan

“…Strategic portfolios of restoration measures require development of cause-and-effect relationships to understand and predict the responses of species and communities to individual and multiple-stressor configurations. Maasri et al (2021) recommend assessment of restoration outcomes using large-scale replication of before-after-controlimpact (BACI) designs, and long-term post-monitoring phases. Relatively few restoration projects meet these stringent design and monitoring requirements (Palmer et al, 2005;Geist and Hawkins, 2016).…”

“…Recent reviews consistently call for improved practices to enhance communication, understanding and respect for different "ways of knowing, " and methods for blending of stakeholder knowledge (especially indigenous knowledge) with conventional science (Anderson et al, 2019;Buxton et al, 2021;Maasri et al, 2021;Perry et al, 2021). Others call for evidence-based and targeted guidance to facilitate working with the complex dynamic interactions of ecological and societal systems (Harper et al, 2021).…”

“…An Emergency Recovery Plan for freshwater biodiversity, published by 25 authors from 14 organizations (Tickner et al, 2020), sets out six major priorities for global action and policy development to "bend the curve of freshwater biodiversity loss." It has been submitted to the working committees of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and further promoted as a dramatic OUPblog "Bring living waters back to our planet 5 " Comprehensive reviews have since enumerated many research questions, actions and policy refinements needed to "bend the curve" and protect the world's freshwater ecosystems (van Rees et al, 2020;Buxton et al, 2021;Harper et al, 2021;Maasri et al, 2021). Each review cuts across important scientific, societal, management and policy issues.…”

Mobilizing practitioners to support the Emergency Recovery Plan for freshwater biodiversity

“…United Nations (UN) Water, in its input to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), led consultations on the post‐2020 global biodiversity framework and built on this plan with more detailed suggestions for targets and indicators, in hopes of creating a legal framework to protect freshwater biodiversity (United Nations (UN) Water, 2020). Many forward‐thinking papers have since been published to identify means of “bending the curve” for freshwater biodiversity (Harper et al, 2021; Maasri et al, 2021; van Rees et al, 2020) including an outline of strategic activities that are critical to enacting the ERP (Arthington, 2021). Recommendations within the ERP to bend the curve for freshwater biodiversity comprise six core actions: (a) accelerating the implementation of environmental flow protections; (b) improving water quality; (c) protecting and restoring critical habitats; (d) managing exploitation of freshwater species and their habitats; (e) preventing and controlling non‐native species invasions; and (f) safeguarding and restoring freshwater connectivity.…”