Put freshwater megafauna on the table before they are eaten to extinction

He, Fengzhi; Jähnig, Sonja C.

doi:10.1111/conl.12662

Cited by 8 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, current monitoring and targeted conservation actions for the vast majority of freshwater megafauna appear inadequate. Compared to megafauna in terrestrial or marine realms, they have received much less research, conservation efforts, and public attention (Courchamp et al, ; He & Jähnig, ; He et al, ). For example, IUCN Red List assessments are insufficient for a quarter of all freshwater megafauna species, most notably in South America (He et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The global decline of freshwater megafauna

Zarfl

Bremerich

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

Self Cite

207

130

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Freshwater ecosystems are among the most diverse and dynamic ecosystems on Earth. At the same time, they are among the most threatened ecosystems but remain underrepresented in biodiversity research and conservation efforts. The rate of decline of vertebrate populations is much higher in freshwaters than in terrestrial or marine realms. Freshwater megafauna (i.e., freshwater animals that can reach a body mass ≥30 kg) are intrinsically prone to extinction due to their large body size, complex habitat requirements and slow life‐history strategies such as long life span and late maturity. However, population trends and distribution changes of freshwater megafauna, at continental or global scales, remain unclear. In the present study, we compiled population data of 126 freshwater megafauna species globally from the Living Planet Database and available literature, and distribution data of 44 species inhabiting Europe and the United States from literature and databases of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and NatureServe. We quantified changes in population abundance and distribution range of freshwater megafauna species. Globally, freshwater megafauna populations declined by 88% from 1970 to 2012, with the highest declines in the Indomalaya and Palearctic realms (−99% and −97%, respectively). Among taxonomic groups, mega‐fishes exhibited the greatest global decline (−94%). In addition, freshwater megafauna experienced major range contractions. For example, distribution ranges of 42% of all freshwater megafauna species in Europe contracted by more than 40% of historical areas. We highlight the various sources of uncertainty in tracking changes in populations and distributions of freshwater megafauna, such as the lack of monitoring data and taxonomic and spatial biases. The detected trends emphasize the critical plight of freshwater megafauna globally and highlight the broader need for concerted, targeted and timely conservation of freshwater biodiversity.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The global decline of freshwater megafauna

Zarfl

Bremerich

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

Self Cite

207

130

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Time is critical in protecting freshwater megafauna (He & Jähnig 2019). The window of opportunity to protect these species from extinction could be missed if conservation actions are delayed, as happened for the baiji ( Lipotes vexillifer ) and the Chinese paddlefish ( Psephurus gladius ) (Xie 2017; Zhang et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At the same time, they are underrepresented in monitoring and conservation actions, compared with terrestrial or marine megafauna (Carrizo et al. 2017; He & Jähnig 2019). For example, 49 of 207 freshwater megafauna species remain unclassified (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined effects of life‐history traits and human impact on extinction risk of freshwater megafauna

Langhans

Zarfl

et al. 2020

Conservation Biology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Megafauna species are intrinsically vulnerable to human impact. Freshwater megafauna (i.e., freshwater animals ≥30 kg, including fishes, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians) are subject to intensive and increasing threats. Thirty-four species are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Red List of Threatened Species, the assessments for which are an important basis for conservation actions but remain incomplete for 49 (24%) freshwater megafauna species. Consequently, the window of opportunity for protecting these species could be missed. Identifying the factors that predispose freshwater megafauna to extinction can help predict their extinction risk and facilitate more effective and proactive conservation actions. Thus, we collated 8 life-history traits for 206 freshwater megafauna species. We used generalized linear mixed models to examine the relationships between extinction risk based on the IUCN Red List categories and the combined effect of multiple traits, as well as the effect of human impact on these relationships for 157 classified species. The most parsimonious model included human impact and traits related to species' recovery potential including life span, age at maturity, and fecundity. Applying the most parsimonious model to 49 unclassified species predicted that 17 of them are threatened. Accounting for model predictions together with IUCN Red List assessments, 50% of all freshwater megafauna species are considered threatened. The Amazon and Yangtze basins emerged as global diversity hotspots of threatened freshwater megafauna, in addition to existing hotspots, including the Ganges-Brahmaputra and Mekong basins and the Caspian Sea region. Assessment and monitoring of those species predicted to be threatened are needed, especially in the Amazon and Yangtze basins. Investigation of life-history traits and trends in population and distribution, regulation of overexploitation, maintaining river connectivity, implementing protected areas focusing on freshwater ecosystems, and integrated basin management are required to protect threatened freshwater megafauna in diversity hotspots.

show abstract

“…Terrestrial and marine megafauna species, which are frequently featured on covers of conservation journals (Figure 3) and popular conservation and nature magazines (Clucas et al, 2008), are the ones that receive most of research and conservation efforts (Donaldson et al, 2016;Ford et al, 2017). These species are also the ones on the list of the 10 most charismatic animals perceived by the general public (Courchamp et al, 2018), while freshwater megafauna are often overlooked (Cooke et al, 2013;Carrizo et al, 2017;He & Jähnig, 2019). Tellingly, no freshwater species has made it onto this list.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Research and conservation actions to safeguard freshwater biodiversity are likely inadequate as a consequence of low popularity among the general public (Monroe et al, 2009;Cooke et al, 2013). Unlike terrestrial and marine ecosystems represented by popular species such as the big cats, elephants, rhinos, polar bears, and cetaceans, freshwater life remains inconspicuous to the public eye and consequently out of sight and out of mind (Monroe et al, 2009;Darwall et al, 2018;He & Jähnig, 2019). Indeed, public perception and knowledge on biodiversity, including its status and importance, are influenced by available information (Papworth et al, 2015;Kochalski et al, 2019), which is currently biased towards certain species and ecosystems (Clark & May, 2002;Jucker et al, 2018;Mazor et al, 2018;Tydecks et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The untapped potential of conservation journals to promote freshwater biodiversity

Jaehnig

Wetzig

et al. 2020

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Freshwater ecosystems are amongst the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. They are subject to intense and increasing threats and have a higher proportion of threatened and extinct species than terrestrial or marine realms. Concurrently, freshwater ecosystems are largely underrepresented in both conservation research and actions arguably as a consequence of less popularity and promotion. To test this assumption, we used cover images as a proxy of exposure and promotion opportunities provided by conservation journals. We collected information on cover images of 18 conservation journals from 1997 to 2016 and data on citations and Altmetric scores of papers published in them. We found that freshwater ecosystems (10.4%) were featured less often than marine (15.2%) or terrestrial (74.4%) ecosystems on covers of these journals. All 15 most featured species are from terrestrial or marine ecosystems, with 14 of them being large vertebrates such as elephants, big cats, rhinos, polar bears, and marine turtles. None of the 95 species featured more than once on the covers of conservation journals spend their whole life history in fresh waters, i.e. they are at least partly associated with terrestrial or marine ecosystems. Our results indicated that cover-featured studies received more attention from academia and the general public, i.e. showed higher citations and Altmetric scores, than non-featured ones within the same issue. By featuring freshwater species and habitats on covers, therewith providing more exposure opportunities, conservation journals hold the potential to promote biodiversity conservation in fresh waters. Scientists can help that endeavour by submitting freshwater-related photos together with their manuscripts for review, therewith providing more options for editors to portray freshwater species and habitats and to ultimately raise awareness and appreciation of freshwater life.

show abstract

Put freshwater megafauna on the table before they are eaten to extinction

Cited by 8 publications

References 4 publications

The global decline of freshwater megafauna

The global decline of freshwater megafauna

Combined effects of life‐history traits and human impact on extinction risk of freshwater megafauna

The untapped potential of conservation journals to promote freshwater biodiversity

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About