The<scp>RACE</scp>for freshwater biodiversity: Essential actions to create the social context for meaningful conservation

Birnie‐Gauvin, Kim; Lynch, Abigail J.; Franklin, P.A.; Reid, Andrea J.; Landsman, Sean J.; Tickner, David; Dalton, James; Aarestrup, Kim; Cooke, Steven J.

doi:10.1111/csp2.12911

Cited by 12 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 119 publications

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“…Human activities and climate change disproportionately affect freshwater ecosystems relative to terrestrial and marine ecosystems (Birnie‐Gauvin et al, 2023; Reid et al, 2019; van Rees et al, 2022; Woodward et al, 2010). Rivers and streams are warming, experiencing more frequent and extreme warm temperature events, and becoming more thermally homogeneous (Arora et al, 2016; Hannah & Garner, 2015; Isaak & Rieman, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Closing the gap between science and management of cold‐water refuges in rivers and streams

Mejia

Ouellet

Briggs

et al. 2023

Global Change Biology

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Human activities and climate change threaten coldwater organisms in freshwater ecosystems by causing rivers and streams to warm, increasing the intensity and frequency of warm temperature events, and reducing thermal heterogeneity. Cold‐water refuges are discrete patches of relatively cool water that are used by coldwater organisms for thermal relief and short‐term survival. Globally, cohesive management approaches are needed that consider interlinked physical, biological, and social factors of cold‐water refuges. We review current understanding of cold‐water refuges, identify gaps between science and management, and evaluate policies aimed at protecting thermally sensitive species. Existing policies include designating cold‐water habitats, restricting fishing during warm periods, and implementing threshold temperature standards or guidelines. However, these policies are rare and uncoordinated across spatial scales and often do not consider input from Indigenous peoples. We propose that cold‐water refuges be managed as distinct operational landscape units, which provide a social and ecological context that is relevant at the watershed scale. These operational landscape units provide the foundation for an integrated framework that links science and management by (1) mapping and characterizing cold‐water refuges to prioritize management and conservation actions, (2) leveraging existing and new policies, (3) improving coordination across jurisdictions, and (4) implementing adaptive management practices across scales. Our findings show that while there are many opportunities for scientific advancement, the current state of the sciences is sufficient to inform policy and management. Our proposed framework provides a path forward for managing and protecting cold‐water refuges using existing and new policies to protect coldwater organisms in the face of global change.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Closing the gap between science and management of cold‐water refuges in rivers and streams

Mejia

Ouellet

Briggs

et al. 2023

Global Change Biology

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“…The Kunming-Montral GBF should help to further the emergency recovery plan while also brining new ideas, energy, resources and political will to the endeavour. We welcome help from anyone and everyone able to join us in this important, if not essential, journey that is not only timely but urgent [10,11,13]. Only time will tell if this is a new day, or more of the same with freshwater biodiversity forgotten.…”

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confidence: 97%

“…When freshwater systems are omitted from global policy agreements and instruments, the signal to civic society is that they are sufficiently protected via actions targeting lands and seas or, even worse, that they are unimportant [13]. Neither of those unfounded conclusions will lead to the support needed to address the freshwater biodiversity crisis, and, ultimately, the biodiversity crisis overall.…”

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confidence: 99%

Is it a new day for freshwater biodiversity? Reflections on outcomes of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Cooke

Harrison

Thieme

et al. 2023

PLOS Sustain Transform

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The 2022 United Nations (UN) Biodiversity Conference of the Parties (COP) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recognized for the first-time 'inland waters' as a distinct realm in terms of setting targets and a process for monitoring and conserving them and their biodiversity. It is common for environmentalists and environmental scholars to bemoan things that they care about, but that have been forgotten, ignored, or excluded when it comes to environmental decisions, or the development of environmental policy. Often those concerns focus on a specific taxonomic group or species, a specific locality, a particular environmental decision, or a particular regional or national policy. However, rarely do they focus on an entire realm that occurs around the globe. By 'realm' we are referring to terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. Equally important, some of the key messages of the Kunming-Montreal GBF were picked up at the UN Water Conference in March 2023, the first of such meetings in almost 50 years, which commits to a global water action agenda to restore and protect freshwater ecosystems as a component of sustainable development. Here, we draw attention to the CBD included language that recognizes inland waters on their own merits (i.e., as a distinct realm) within the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) [1] that was submitted by the President of CBD COP 15, held in Montreal, on December 18, 2022.Previously, freshwater ecosystems were inherently-and in our opinion, mistakenly-considered part of the terrestrial realm. Concerns existed about the lack of attention to inland waters in the 2011-2020 Aichi Targets [2]. These concerns were redressed in the Kunming-Montreal GBF by recognizing the need to move beyond reference to simply 'land and sea,' and to place more specific focus on inland waters and their biodiversity. In particular, inland waters are now explicitly recognized for focused attention in two targets of the Kunming-Montreal GBF text submitted from the CBD President (i.e., Target 2 and Target 3).Target 2: Ensure that by 2030 at least 30 percent of areas of degraded terrestrial, inland water, and coastal and marine ecosystems are under effective restoration, in order to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem functions and services, ecological integrity and connectivity.

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Structural and Functional Genomics for Assessment of Genetic Variability

Mohindra,

Kumar,

Kushwaha

et al. 2024

Sustainable Management of Fish Genetic Resources

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TheRACEfor freshwater biodiversity: Essential actions to create the social context for meaningful conservation

Cited by 12 publications

References 119 publications

Closing the gap between science and management of cold‐water refuges in rivers and streams

Closing the gap between science and management of cold‐water refuges in rivers and streams

Is it a new day for freshwater biodiversity? Reflections on outcomes of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Structural and Functional Genomics for Assessment of Genetic Variability

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