LONDON – Nearly a third of all freshwater species are threatened with extinction, according to a new report released by 16 conservation groups on Tuesday.
“The World’s Forgotten Fishes” says that 80 freshwater species – which make up more than half of all world species – have already become extinct, and in 2020 alone 16 have disappeared.
Migrant populations have declined by more than three-quarters since the 1970s, while populations of larger species weighing more than 60 kilograms have declined by an even more “catastrophic” 94 percent.
Although freshwater fish are important to the healthy functioning of the world’s rivers, lakes and wetlands, millions of people around the world also depend on them for food security and their livelihoods, including in vulnerable and indigenous communities. The rapid decline could therefore endanger societies and economies around the world, the report said.
Conservation groups behind the report, including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and Global Wildlife Conservation, point to a combination of pressure on global freshwater fish populations, including habitat degradation, dams and wetlands, pollution, introduction of invasive species, natural crime and the growing threat of climate change.
Of the more than 10,000 species whose conservation status has been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 30 percent are considered at risk of extinction, the report said.
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The study calls freshwater fish ‘undervalued’, with Stuart Orr of the WWF saying freshwater fish are often forgotten in global debates on climate, biodiversity and global development.
“I think this report is 16 organizations that stand together to highlight the incredible diversity of freshwater species on the one hand, but on the other hand remind people that these species are deteriorating and linked to a lot of food security, employment and cultural services. “Orr told NBC News by telephone from Gland, Switzerland.
“While we want to adapt to climate change and start thinking about all the discussions that governments are going to have about biodiversity, this is really a time for us to shine fresh water back,” he added.
The report calls for an emergency recovery plan to stem decades of deterioration by protecting and restoring natural river flow, water quality and critical habitats, while undoing the damage caused by overfishing.
Orr said a United Nations biodiversity conference to be held in China later this year would be an opportunity for governments to talk about the crisis and, for the first time, pay as much attention to protecting and protecting freshwater living systems. restored as the world’s forests and forests. oceans.
