Editorial: Aquatic conservation in the age of the Sustainable Development Goals

Irvine, Kenneth

doi:10.1002/aqc.3007

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…From the perspective of conservation biology, the expansion of hydropower is of particular concern in rivers that are considered to be biodiversity hotspots, such as the Amazon (Latrubesse et al, 2017; Latrubesse et al, in press), the Congo and the Mekong (Winemiller et al, 2016), the São Francisco (Gomes et al, 2020), or regions in south‐east Europe (Hudek, Zganec & Pusch, 2020). From a general perspective, aquatic conservation in the age of sustainable development goals and ecological assessments in connection with the ‘shifting baseline syndrome’ have already been broadly explored (Irvine, 2018). The intention of this editorial is to provide more specific guidelines that help to assess comprehensively the effects of hydropower in relation to aquatic biodiversity conservation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Editorial: Green or red: Challenges for fish and freshwater biodiversity conservation related to hydropower

Geist

2021

Aquatic Conservation

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The global sustainable development goals of the United Nations (United Nations, 2015) and the associated necessary transformations, such as energy decarbonization (Sachs et al., 2019), have resulted in increased hydropower development around the world (Zarfl et al., 2015). Advocates of hydropower point to the important contributions of this form of energy to the reduction of CO 2 emissions, its low cost, and its use as a stable source of energy, justifying it as a 'green' energy that makes an important contribution to electricity supply compared with other forms of regenerative energy. For the year 2018, the International Energy Agency (IEA) lists a global energy supply from hydropower of 4,325,111 GWh, compared with 1,273,409 GWh for wind energy and 554,382 GWh for solar/photovoltaic energy (IEA, 2020). In contrast to wind or solar power, hydropower production is available at any time of day and is less dependent on current weather conditions.According to the Collins Dictionary (www.collinsdictionary.com, accessed 14 February 2021), 'green energy' is defined as 'power that comes from sources that do not harm the environment …'. The debate about how 'green' the green energies really are is controversial (Gibson, Wilman & Laurance, 2017). Opponents of hydropower production often refer to it as a 'red' energy because of the mortalities and injuries that fish face when passing turbines Mueller et al., 2020b), as well as other ecological harm to free-flowing rivers associated with habitat fragmentation and alteration.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Editorial: Green or red: Challenges for fish and freshwater biodiversity conservation related to hydropower

Geist

2021

Aquatic Conservation

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“…However, the full value of the topics presented in this issue will only be realized when applied to the practical management of ecosystems and freshwater biodiversity. This includes the translation of conservation recommendations that can be adopted easily by policy‐makers (Harrison et al, ) and acknowledging the particular challenges and opportunities associated with freshwater conservation (Irvine, ).…”

Section: Beyond 2020: Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Theory and practice to conserve freshwater biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Flitcroft

Cooperman

Harrison

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

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The unprecedented impact of human activities on nature has led scientists to propose we might now be in a new geological epoch: the Anthropocene. Significant human alterations of freshwater systems include massive changes to soil erosion–deposition dynamics, hydrological regimes via impoundment and diversion, land‐use conversion, chemical and nutrient pollution, and human‐assisted range expansion of invasive species. In this human‐dominated epoch, biodiversity, which includes all life on Earth, is at risk, and freshwater biodiversity shows the strongest examples of the extent of this threat. We live in a world where it is necessary to find optimal ways to balance the growing human need for fresh water with ensuring that freshwater ecosystems remain functional in support of the biodiversity that inhabits them and the services these systems provide. Within the broader context of freshwater management in the Anthropocene, this special issue targets freshwater biodiversity and habitat conservation through a variety of lenses. Four main areas of emphasis include: conservation approaches; advances in model and tool development; enhancing water planning; and management and protection of species and habitats. For manuscripts included in this special issue, all authors were instructed to demonstrate how the material presented, be it commentary, conservation prioritization, new methodology or other subject matter, is broadly applicable and transferable.

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“…They provide diverse important functions and services [23]. Historically, wetlands have been important as sources of food, feed supply, raw materials and medicines for human beings; as habitats for a wide variety of flora and fauna, including endangered species; as valuable freshwater/groundwater reservoirs that improve water quality; as buffer zones for flood control or shoreline and storm protection; for enabling nutrient exchange between alluvial sediments and the atmosphere; as carbon-accumulation pools; as providers of cultural values and recreational options; and for mitigation and adaptation during climate change [2,5,6,[23][24][25][26][27][28].…”

Section: The Value Of Wetland Ecosystemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combining bioenergy and nature conservation: An example in wetlands

Melts

Ivask

Mohan

et al. 2019

Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews

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Conservation and restoration are crucial to maintaining a wide range of functions and services in wetlands, but it is difficult to find a reasonable and resource-efficient management option without sacrificing ecological values. In the present paper, we analyse the variability and dynamics of the chemical composition and energy potential of biomass from reedbeds, floodplain meadows, coastal meadows and reed canary grass cultivation in extracted peatlands. We observed that the chemical characteristics that are crucial for bioenergy production vary by biomass origin and over time. The bioenergy potential depends on biomass production and on the conversion method. The results indicate that the energy potential ranges from 122 to 190 GJ/ha per year in semi-natural floodplain meadows in the boreal zone. About 160 GJ/ha per year can be obtained from natural reedbeds but only about 120 GJ/ha per year from cultivated extracted peatlands. Using methane conversion, we can obtain only about 50%, and using ethanol conversion we can obtain less than 20% of the total energy potential of the herbaceous biomass of floodplain meadows. Although long-term studies on homo-and heterogeneous biomass production are required, we conclude that the local biomass of natural, semi-natural and artificial wetlands could contribute significantly to sustainable development.

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Editorial: Aquatic conservation in the age of the Sustainable Development Goals

Cited by 7 publications

References 51 publications

Editorial: Green or red: Challenges for fish and freshwater biodiversity conservation related to hydropower

Editorial: Green or red: Challenges for fish and freshwater biodiversity conservation related to hydropower

Theory and practice to conserve freshwater biodiversity in the Anthropocene

Combining bioenergy and nature conservation: An example in wetlands

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