Efforts to restore biodiversity in European freshwater ecosystems have ground to a halt, reveals new study
Attempts to reverse biodiversity loss in European freshwater ecosystems have plateaued in recent years, according a new study from an international team of researchers. Although measures introduced to improve and restore freshwater habitats resulted in biodiversity gains between the 1990s and 2000s, additional measures are now needed to ensure the recovery of freshwater biodiversity, which is threatened by pollution, invasive species, and climate change.
The study, led by ecologists at the Senckenberg Research Institute in Germany and the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute in the US, and published in the journal Nature, looked at invertebrate biodiversity in river systems across 22 European countries. It revealed that while the biological quality of rivers remains poor globally, the number and impacts of stressors threatening freshwater ecosystems continues to increase.
‘The improvement of freshwater biodiversity in Europe is a great achievement, but we cannot afford to be complacent,’ says Professor Iwan Jones, head of the river communities group at the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences at Queen Mary University of London, who was involved in the study. ‘Our research shows that we need to redouble our efforts to protect these vital ecosystems. We need to act now to further reduce pollution, prevent invasive species from spreading, and help our river systems to cope with climate change.’
The study’s authors advocate for reducing the input of fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural land, reconnecting rivers and floodplains to improve ecosystem functioning and reduce destructive flooding, and adapting river systems to future climatic and hydrological conditions. The study also calls for the prioritisation of standardised, large-scale and long-term biodiversity monitoring efforts to track changes in biodiversity and identify sites at high risk.
