Securing Biodiversity, Functional Integrity, and Ecosystem Services in Drying River Networks (DRYvER)

Abstract

River networks are among Earth’s most threatened hot-spots of biodiversity and provide key ecosystem services (e.g., supply drinking water and food, climate regulation) essential to sustaining human well-being. Climate change and increased human water use are causing more rivers and streams to dry, with devastating impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Currently, more than a half of the global river networks consist of drying channels, and these are expanding dramatically. However, drying river networks (DRNs) have received little attention from scientists and policy makers, and the public is unaware of their importance. Consequently, there is no effective integrated biodiversity conservation or ecosystem management strategy of DRNs. A multidisciplinary team of 25 experts from 11 countries in Europe, South America, China and the USA will build on EU efforts to assess the cascading effects of climate change on biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem services of DRNs through changes in flow regimes and water use. DRYvER (DRYing riVER networks) will gather and upscale empirical and modelling data from nine focal DRNs (case studies) in Europe (EU) and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to develop a meta-system framework applicable to Europe and worldwide. It will also generate crucial knowledge-based strategies, tools and guidelines for economically-efficient adaptive management of DRNs. Working closely with stakeholders and end-users, DRYvER will co-develop strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts in DRNs, integrating hydrological, ecological (including nature-based solutions), socio-economic and policy perspectives. The end results of DRYvER will contribute to reaching the objectives of the Paris Agreement and placing Europe at the forefront of research on climate change.

The social connectivity of subsurface flows: Towards a better integration of the vertical dimension in socio‐hydrosystem studies

“…The collected data will improve scientific predictions of the future impacts of climate change in these ecosystems. Moreover, the goal of DRYRivERS is to raise awareness of the importance of drying events in river networks (Datry et al, 2021). Wantzen et al (2016) and Wantzen (2022) highlight with the concept of River Culture that proper stewardship of hydrosystems could come from the gradual reintegration of more river rhythms into human life, quite close to the slow living movement increasingly popular in North America and Western Europe, with its rejection of high-tech, engineered, fast paced lives (Botta, 2016).…”

“…The collected data will improve scientific predictions of the future impacts of climate change in these ecosystems. Moreover, the goal of DRYRivERS is to raise awareness of the importance of drying events in river networks (Datry et al, 2021).…”

Effect of drying dynamics on the functional structure of a fish assemblage from an intermittent river network

“…However, global climatic changes have been modifying the rainfall regime in semiarid regions, altering the reproductive process of fish species. These climatic alterations favor the expansion of drying over time and space in naturally intermittent river regimes with prolonged dry phase (Larned et al, 2010;Datry et al, 2021). Temporal nestedness increased in naturally intermittent rivers as climatic aridity increased, showing that harsh environmental conditions associated with global changes may further reduce functional biodiversity at these sites even if they are already intermittent (Vorste et al, 2021).…”