Freshwater Ecoregions of the World
A Comprehensive Global Map Promoting Biodiversity Conservation
A new map has been developed to provide the first biogeographic regionalization of freshwater systems. Freshwater ecoregions are a framework for species conservation.
Freshwater ecosystems support a vast number, some 100,000 of the world's species. More than 200 conservation scientists joined forces to develop the first inclusive database and map detailing these diverse species and the ecoregions where they live. In spite of the value these species and ecosystems have for the environment, researchers feel they are ignored due to a lack of comprehensive data available on their distribution.
The mapping project is known as Freshwater Ecoregions of the World (FEOW). It is a mutual project of the World Wildlife Fund and the Nature Conservancy. Explaining the effort in a press release, World Wildlife Fund Project Leader Robin Abell says, "Freshwater ecosystems are the least studied parts of our natural world. They are like vast unexplored libraries, brimming with information. Freshwater Ecoregions of the World allows scientists and non-scientists alike to gain a better understanding of this world and help guide efforts to save these systems and species before they are lost."
Freshwater Ecoregions - The study complied data on freshwater species like fish, turtles, and amphibians for all of the world's inland waters. 426 individual ecoregions were identified along with the nearly 18,000 species that call them home. Most of the areas described are rich in wildlife, but many are coming under increasing pressure from human development. Freshwater is being used for many agricultural, industrial, and residential purposes. Researchers recognize that 55 of the ecoregions described are being stressed by excess water use and another 59 have been converted to agricultural or urban use.
A Map of Freshwater EcoRegions Developed - The mapping effort of FEOW covers nearly all the nonmarine portions of the world. Some notes of interest for the map include:
- 13,400 freshwater fish species were assigned to ecoregions
- 6,900 species were assigned to single ecoregions meaning they are endemic
- Africa's Congo Basin, Asia's Pearl River, and parts of South America's Amazon Basin were identified as particularly rich in fish varieties found in no other areas
- A number of smaller subdivisions of major river basins were highlighted for the first time in a global study
- Many new ecoregions were identified as having high occurrences of species found in only that area, also known as endemism
Researchers believe there are many conservation applications that can be derived from the FEOW effort. Protecting biodiversity at a regional level can produce gaps in species protection that could be better identified on a broader scale. Assigning specific species to ecoregions is the first step needed in comparing levels of biodiversity present between different ecoregions. Use of this mapping data could have funding priority implications. It may help natural resource planners better spend limited funds. The Freshwater Ecoregions of the World effort is seen as a potentially powerful tool for governmental policymakers and water resource planners.
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