Farming, dams and agricultural runoff are the biggest threats to freshwater biodiversity globally, with Europe and Northwest Africa the hardest-hit regions, McGill researchers have found.
Applying a mapping methodology previously used to study terrestrial species, the researchers identified where freshwater species are under threat, and which human activity seems to be responsible.
"The Global Geography of Threats to Freshwater Biodiversity" is published in Science.
Their study could help conservationists prioritize where interventions are most urgently needed, they said.
"At a time when global biodiversity frameworks risk overlooking freshwater species, these maps give us a new, freshwater-specific baseline for conservation, helping to highlight where different types of conservation action may be most needed," said Christophe Brabant, lead author and Ph.D. candidate.
"That matters to everyone, not just biologists, because freshwater systems provide services we all depend on: clean drinking water, fisheries, flood protection and more.
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