The Alliance for Freshwater Life: A global call to unite efforts for freshwater biodiversity science and conservation

Abstract

Global pressures on freshwater ecosystems are high and rising. Viewed primarily as a resource for humans, current practices of water use have led to catastrophic declines in freshwater species and the degradation of freshwater ecosystems, including their genetic and functional diversity. Approximately three‐quarters of the world's inland wetlands have been lost, one‐third of the 28 000 freshwater species assessed for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List are threatened with extinction, and freshwater vertebrate populations are undergoing declines that are more rapid than those of terrestrial and marine species. This global loss continues unchecked, despite the importance of freshwater ecosystems as a source of clean water, food, livelihoods, recreation, and inspiration. The causes of these declines include hydrological alterations, habitat degradation and loss, overexploitation, invasive species, pollution, and the multiple impacts of climate change. Although there are policy initiatives that aim to protect freshwater life, these are rarely implemented with sufficient conviction and enforcement. Policies that focus on the development and management of fresh waters as a resource for people almost universally neglect the biodiversity that they contain. Here we introduce the Alliance for Freshwater Life, a global initiative, uniting specialists in research, data synthesis, conservation, education and outreach, and policymaking. This expert network aims to provide the critical mass required for the effective representation of freshwater biodiversity at policy meetings, to develop solutions balancing the needs of development and conservation, and to better convey the important role freshwater ecosystems play in human well‐being. Through this united effort we hope to reverse this tide of loss and decline in freshwater biodiversity. We introduce several short‐ and medium‐term actions as examples for making positive change, and invite individuals, organizations, authorities, and governments to join the Alliance for Freshwater Life.

The global decline of freshwater megafauna

“…The situation facing freshwater megafauna in the Indomalaya and Palearctic realms, and those of mega‐fishes globally, is particularly dire due to overexploitation and dam construction. It is often suggested that freshwater species suffer a lack of focus for conservation, as they are largely out of sight and out of mind (Darwall et al, ; Ford et al, ; Monroe, Baxter, Olden, & Angermeier, ). Despite this, our work shows that even the best known of our freshwater species are in danger of being lost.…”

“…These are particularly necessary in megafauna‐rich basins (e.g., the Amazon, Congo, Mekong, and Ganges river basins) and must account for rapidly increasing and emerging threats. In addition, a comprehensive and regularly updated database of freshwater megafauna species is sorely needed, alongside a global initiative to combine and consolidate knowledge and data on freshwater biodiversity (Darwall et al, ).…”

“…Accelerating hydropower development and overexploitation, particularly in highly diverse river basins such as the Mekong, Congo, and Amazon may cause the extinction of hundreds of freshwater species (Castello et al, 2013;Winemiller et al, 2016). Current conservation actions fall short in safeguarding freshwater habitats and biodiversity, as freshwater ecosystems are rarely targeted in conservation management strategies and actions (Abell, Lehner, Thieme, & Linke, 2017;Darwall et al, 2018;Harrison et al, 2018). Consequently, a third of all classified freshwater species are threatened with extinction according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species (Collen et al, 2014).…”

Theory and practice to conserve freshwater biodiversity in the Anthropocene

“…In the face of all these threats, freshwater ecosystems remain essential to human well‐being, as they directly contribute to the livelihoods of billions of people and provide a range of goods and services estimated to be worth more than $4 trillion annually (Darwall et al, and references therein; Russi et al, ). Indeed, the importance of fresh water as a resource is a major driver of many of the threats noted above.…”

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

“…Global commitments for sustainable development (UNESCO, 1994;United Nations, 1992WCED, 1987) and the protection of biodiversity (Convention on Biological Diversity, CBD, 2012; European Commission, 2011) have failed to conserve freshwater habitats and their species effectively. This does not mean that there have been no successes (Brooks, Holland, Darwall, & Eigenbrod, 2016), but priorities for conservation have tended to focus on terrestrial habitats (Abell et al, 2011), and each new appeal for better freshwater conservation (Bunn, 2016;Darwall et al, 2018;Dudgeon, 2010;Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, 2005;Russi et al, 2013) adds to the feeling of loss. Claims of a biodiversity crisis, more pronounced in fresh waters than in any other ecosystem, have been made for over two decades (Darwall et al, 2018;Groves et al, 2002).…”