It’s getting harder and harder to be a fish, dragonfly, or crab today. Why? A new study that was published in Nature shows that 23% of freshwater species are at risk of extinction.
This is the first time the freshwater ecosystem has been studied in this way, so consider it pretty jarring that a fourth of the animals in that realm are in danger. Freshwater also makes up 10% of all species in the world.
Crabs, shrimp, and crayfish are the most threatened among the species studied. A quarter of the fishes studied also are in danger, followed by dragonflies.
New Study Shows Freshwater Species Are in Danger
Going a step further, the report identified the biggest threats behind this concerning trend. Pollution is 54% of the issue, to no surprise. Land use change (37%) and invasive species (29%) are the other biggest factors.
Unlike saltwater and other habitats, a freshwater ecosystem is very fragile due to its sensitivity to water quality and temperature. Humans more frequently interrupt these areas due to waste pollution. The bodies of water are also connected more so than, say, an ocean, so a bottle that gets tossed in the river behind your house can wind up going into the lake in the next town, and eventually into another connected lake, and so on.
“It is imperative that conservation actors work collaboratively to address the challenges of pollution, shortsighted habitat modification, and the spread of invasive species head-on,” said Dr, Topiltzin Contreras MacBeath, Co-Chair of the IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee.
It sounds as though this breakthrough research can be leveraged to lead to change and used as a roadmap to create longevity for these species. And let’s all be a bit more mindful when we’re throwing out trash, too.
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