Study Finds 25% Of Freshwater Animals Threatened With Extinction

Nearly a quarter of animals living in freshwater ecosystems are threatened with extinction, according to new research published recently, Christina Larson reported for the Associated Press (AP).

The researchers assessed around 23,500 species dependent on freshwater ecosystems, including dragonflies, fish, and crabs, finding that 24% were at risk of extinction. I Photo: USFWS National Digital Library 

Patricia Charvet, a biologist at Brazil’s Federal University of Ceará and co-author of the study, noted, “Huge rivers like the Amazon can appear mighty, but at the same time, freshwater environments are very fragile.”

Freshwater habitats, which include rivers, lakes, ponds, streams, bogs, and wetlands, cover less than 1% of Earth’s surface but support 10% of its animal species, said Catherine Sayer, a zoologist at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in England.

The researchers assessed around 23,500 species dependent on freshwater ecosystems, including dragonflies, fish, and crabs, finding that 24% were at risk of extinction.

Threats include pollution, dams, water extraction, agriculture, invasive species, and climate change. “Most species face multiple threats simultaneously,” said Sayer, who co-authored the study.

Published in Nature, this research is the first global analysis of extinction risks for freshwater species. Stuart Pimm, an ecologist at Duke University not involved in the study, called it “a long-awaited and hugely important paper.”