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The Emergency Recovery Plan for freshwater biodiversity recognizes that addressing nonnative species is one of six principal actions needed to bend the curve in freshwater biodiversity loss. This is because introduction rates of nonnative species continue to accelerate globally and where these species develop invasive populations, they can have severe impacts on freshwater biodiversity. The most effective management measure to protect freshwater biodiversity is to prevent introductions of nonnative species. Should a nonnative species be introduced, however, then its early detection and the implementation of rapid reaction measures can avoid it establishing and dispersing. If these measures are unsuccessful and the...
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Rivers, wetlands, lakes, and other freshwater ecosystems collectively cover only 1% of the Earth's surface. Yet, these ecosystems support a disproportionately large and vast array of biodiversity. Currently, these ecosystems face many threats, including pollution, habitat alteration, fragmentation, invasive species, overexploitation, overabstraction, climate change, and other emerging stressors. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature's Living Planet Index, freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity are considered among the most threatened on the planet, with average declines of approximately 83% in the populations of freshwater organisms since 1970. Such losses are impactful not only from a fundamental biodiversity...
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