Amphibians are facing the one of the fastest rates of extinction of any animal group. But how much attention did they receive at the IUCN Congress last month? The Director of the Amphibian Survival Alliance, Jaime Garcia Moreno, took some time out to discuss this issue with the BioFresh blog.
Red-eyed Tree Frog. Photo: Creative Commons
BioFresh Blog: You recently attended the IUCN World Conservation Congress last month. What did you get up to there and were you pleased with the attention given to amphibian conservation at the congress?
Jaime Garcia Moreno: There was very little attention put to amphibians at the Congress – the amphibian conservation workshop that we co-organised, and the motion that we helped put forward to the members were the only amphibian-focused activities that I am aware of.
BB: I noticed that the motion to step up efforts to combat the amphibian crisis was passed with attention to amphibian trade added as an amendment. Amphibian trade is an issue that has been covered by the BioFresh blog previously. What is the significance of the amendment?
JGM: We thought it was necessary to include the trade paragraph because there are species affected by this. The volume of amphibians traded for food is small enough (compared [for example] with fisheries) that it is not picked up in other forums. We know, however, that some of the frogs traded for food are not coming from breeding facilities but collected from the wild and in volumes representing very large numbers of individuals. Trade monitoring and assessment is difficult – not only do frog legs from different species look alike, but the World Customs Organisation removed its Harmonized System code for amphibians. This leaves amphibians together with leeches, spiders, scorpions, worms – leading to confusion. Live amphibians are often classified with live reptiles or ornamental fish with whom they are often shipped, and for which codes do exist.
BB: What action, if anything, will this motion lead to?
JGM: The motion is a stark reminder that there is an awful lot to do if we want to turn the tide for amphibians. There was a motion four years ago, [at the IUCN congress] in Barcelona, urging parties to join efforts to combat the amphibian crisis, and unfortunately it was necessary to remind everyone that the crisis is far from over and that it is being fought with very limited funding.
We hope that the motion will remind all of those who care about the diversity of life that amphibians are still the most threatened terrestrial group of animals, that we keep losing species and that many populations continue to decline, so we will lose more if we don’t act now. We ought to remind ourselves that as long as we cannot make one of these creatures from scratch, it is our responsibility to keep them on the planet.
Next week we will be presenting another interview with Jaime Garcia Moreno, who discusses the future for amphibian conservation and the work that the ASA are doing.
Water security challenges: the gap between science and policy
About 80% of the world’s population faces water insecurity or risks relating to loss of freshwater biodiversity. Water security is an issue of growing concern, but at present academic research often does not align with the needs of policy-makers and practitioners.
Photo: Creative Commons
A recent article by Karen Bakker published in Science last month discusses the challenges and opportunities for water security in the coming years. Water security, as defined in the article, is an “acceptable level of water-related risks to humans and ecosystems, coupled with the availability of water of sufficient quantity and quality to support livelihoods, national security, human health, and ecosystem services”.
Interest in water security has risen considerably over the past decade or so in both academic and policy circles, a recognition of the crucial role water plays in numerous facets of the lives of people and ecosystems on a daily basis. For example, water security is the focus of the 2013 World Water Week in Stockholm and the next World Water Forum in 2015.
Number of water security-related publications in the last 20 years. Source: Bakker 2012.
Freshwater-related human and ecosystem vulnerability is leading to growing concern in four key areas:
1) threats to drinking water supply systems
Over 1 billion people around the world currently lack access to clean, safe drinking water. As well as increased investments needed to reach these people, enhanced monitoring and emergency preparedness is necessary to protect against threats such as contamination and human impacts on freshwater ecosystems.
2) threats to economic growth and human livelihoods
The worst drought in 60 years in East Africa triggered the first famine of the 21st century threatening the livelihoods of over 10 million people. Photo: Reuters/Red Cross
Water-related hazards such as floods and droughts have enormous negative impacts for millions of people across the world and are contributing factors to poor economic growth in many regions. In addition, freshwater availability and biodiversity play a key role in food security, implying the need for both technological innovation and water conservation.
3) threats to freshwater ecosystem services
Point and non–point source pollution as well as increased water consumption are some of the biggest threats to freshwater biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. This highlights the need to manage water for both human and ecosystem needs, especially given potential “tipping points” in socioecological systems.
4) climate change
Climate change is expected to lead to increased hydrological variability, notably an increased severity and frequency of droughts and floods, amplifying the concerns with regards to livelihoods and economic growth. Given this, there is a need to develop adaptation strategies that deal with uncertainty that are more than just technical, but also include governance and social learning as key tools for more effective water management.
Chemical pollution in the Yangtze river, China. Pollution is a major threat to water security and biodiversity. Photo: Lu Guang/Greenpeace.
A central theme of these water security threats is the challenge of balancing human and environmental needs while protecting essential ecosystem services and biodiversity, writes Bakker. For this to occur collaboration between natural and social scientists, academics and practitioners is crucial. But, argues Bakker, “academic research on water security is relatively poorly integrated with the needs of policy-makers and practitioners.”
The three main challenges identified by Bakker are the lack of a conceptual common ground for effective water management and policy-making across disciplines and sectors, the current lack of sufficient interdisciplinary collaboration and institutional incentives, and a disciplinary ‘scalar mismatch’ (where different disciplines tend to focus on different scales – e.g. the hydrologist looks at the watershed, whereas the political scientist focuses on the nation-state), which may be reproduced in the context of on-the-ground water governance.
The growing focus on water security offers a significant opportunity for the freshwater biodiversity science and policy community because freshwater ecosystems play an important role in providing water security and as such can make substantive contributions to finding solutions to the global water crisis. Given these opportunities, and the importance of finding interdisciplinary solutions to this issue, it will be necessary to engage with a range of different fields as well as policy areas including Water Resource Management, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), food security, and development.
Source: Bakker 2012, ‘Water Security: Research Challenges and Opportunities’, Science, vol. 337 no. 6097 pp. 914-915, <http://www.sciencemag.org/content/337/6097/914.full>.
Congratulations to Martin Kernan and the UCL team for organizing a thoroughly interesting and worthwhile day bringing together those who do biodiversity freshwater science with those who use freshwater science.
Walking into the lecture theater in University College London it was clear that we were going to be in for a good day. The place was packed! Martin reported 110 registrations but there seemed more. Rick Batarbee commented to me that these sort of meetings seem to work in the UK because “maybe we are small enough to know each other yet big enough to bring a diversity of perspectives worth discussing”.
I came with the plan to try out tweeting a summary of the symposium. You can review my efforts, and those of a small cohort of fellow science twitterers, by searching on #fwbiodUK. In the afternoon panel discussion I asked whether the new media could enhance science-policy-practice dialogue. Colleagues from UK government agencies said that at work they were still fire-walled from accessing YouTube, twitter and even searching an angler association website! A colleague from The Netherlands was amazed, commenting something along the lines of “how can you govern if you can’t listen to your people?” It seems that UK agencies might slowly be opening-up, but this was one point that underlined how institutional practices create barriers to effective dialogue between a community who share a passion for freshwater.
The day was full of interesting insights. Four that are foremost in my mind as I write this post on the train back to Oxford are as follows. First was Klement Tockner’s application of the term ‘domesticated’ to river systems. Three subsequent speakers picked up on this metaphor which made me wonder if it might have traction. It chimes with Frans Vera’s re-wilding work – the idea that we domesticate nature to produce a small set of services efficiently (e.g. Auroch to milk and meat producing cow) and end up forgetting the wider suite of services produced by the original. When we actively de-domesticate (cow to heck cattle, canalised river to meandering) we set in train a set of processes with rich scientific and social benefits.
Second was the general unease with the ecosystem services policy frame. Stewart Clarke from Natural England did a great job of making the case for talking in £ terms, but for me Klement summed up the disconnect when he commented that scientists are being asked to directly link freshwater biodiversity with ecosystem services, yet there are two steps in between – ecosystem process and function – and whilst recognizing the policy imperatives it is difficult for scientists to make the short cut.
A third point that got me thinking, was the talk from Mike Dobson from the Freshwater Biological Association. Mike reminded us of the vital contribution that specialist NGOs (he cited Pond Conservation and BugLife along with the FBA) can make at the freshwater biodiversity science-policy-management interface. I think he has a point. Whilst the branded conservation NGOs are more distanced from the scientific communities, NGOs like FBA are very much part of us and perhaps we should more actively look for ways to work together. As Mike noted the ‘impact’ requirements in research council proposals offer a great opportunity to do just this.
Perhaps the most intriguing policy relevant science I heard was from Nigel Wilby from the University of Stirling. In a nutshell, he showed how gradients of (site) connectivity matter for freshwater biodiversity at the landscape level, and how connectivity is becoming polarized at the low and high ends of the scale. I had never imagined that we need policies to promote intermediate connectivity!
Once again thanks to everyone for such a fascinating and positive day. If you were at the meeting please add a comment with your take away message or insight.
I hope other colleagues in BioFresh can draw inspiration from this meeting in London to organize something similar in their country.
Paul Jepson.
Freshwater Biodiversity in the UK: a meeting on the status, threats and conservation concerns
Are you aware that freshwater ecosystems are facing are major crisis? Have you ever wondered why freshwater biodiversity matters? Or what we can do to help? A meeting on the 20th of September about freshwater biodiversity in the UK discusses these questions and more.
Photo: Creative Commons
Just 1% of the Earth’s surface is covered by freshwater, but they are home to over 10% of all animals and over 35% of all vertebrates. In addition, freshwater ecosystems provide many important services to humans. Yet freshwater biodiversity around the world is in serious decline to the point of a major biodiversity crisis.
In a first of its kind, University College London in conjunction with BioFresh and the Freshwater Biological Association, are bringing together key scientists, policy makers and freshwater managers to discuss the challenges of preventing further losses of freshwater biodiversity in the UK. Held on the 20th of September 2012 in the JZ Young Lecture Theatre, UCL, the day long meeting provides an opportunity to participate in discussions with and see presentations from a wider range of freshwater experts.
White-clawed crayfish, the only native crayfish in the UK. Photo: Environment Agency
Some of the key theme of the discussion will include:
- The scale of freshwater biodiversity loss
- The role of biodiversity in freshwater ecosystem functioning
- Pressures on the biodiversity of standing and running waters
- The importance of biodiversity to society
- Freshwater biodiversity and conservation policy
- Public understanding of freshwater biodiversity issues
The day will comprise a morning and afternoon session addressing issues such as freshwater biodiversity in the Anthropocene, the new conservation paradigm, the importance of biodiversity for ecosystem functioning and services, how to engage employees to conserve biodiversity and the role that museums can play in freshwater conservation. A list of confirmed speakers include Klement Tockner (Co-ordinator of BioFresh), Iwan Jones (QMUL), Carl Sayer (UCL), Nigel Wilby (Univ Stirling), Linda May (CEH Edinburgh), Stewart Clarke (Nature England), Cathy Purse (Thames Water), Jeremy Biggs (Pond Conservation), Mike Dobson (FBA), and Steve Brooks (Natural History Museum).
Lokia Erythromelas. Photo: Klaas-Douwe Dijkstra
In addition, there will be a panel discussion chaired by Paul Jepson from the University of Oxford aimed at bridging the two cultures of science and practice to better understand the needs of policy-makers. The panel discussion will be made up of freshwater managers and practitioners and will discuss a) how institutional policy drivers can help or hinder how science feeds into policy and b) how scientists can make their science more accessible and useful. Keeping with the theme of openness, this will be followed by a discussion with comments and question from the audience as well as a live twitterfall to increase interactivity.
The meeting will be an open discussion and we welcome participation. For more information and registration click here and for any other queries contact Martin Kernan: m.kernan@ucl.ac.uk
How did freshwater biodiversity fare at the IUCN Congress?
Two weeks ago, I asked what the IUCN congress had to offer for freshwater conservation. With the close of the 10-day congress yesterday, how did freshwater fare in the end? In this article, I provide a wrap-up of the keys messages of the congress and the most important developments for freshwater biodiversity.
Member’s Assembly at the IUCN World Conservation Congress. Photo: IUCN.
The 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress came to a close yesterday after more than a week of discussion, debate and deliberation. As expected, the theme of the congress, ‘Nature+’, featured prominently throughout the 10 days of the conference. What the IUCN calls ‘nature-based’ solutions were offered as a way to tackle a range of environmental and development issues. The take-home message of the congress was clear: whether it’s addressing climate change, food security, or poverty, utilising the benefits of nature can offer potentials solutions.
The role of business and the ‘green economy’ also featured strongly. During the congress, the World Bank stated that nature should be at the heart of the economy, Richard Branson gave a speech in which he called ‘mother nature the greatest entrepreneur of all time’, and IUCN and Microsoft announced a new partnership to tackle species extinction. Business and unsustainable practices have long been seen as part of the issue, but business is now increasingly being recognised as part of the solution as well.
Lake Niassa, Malawi, is one of the richest freshwater ecosystems in the world. It reportedly has more species of fish than those of any other body of freshwater on Earth.
In terms of developments for freshwater conservation, there was a good deal on offer as well. Freshwater issues were on the agenda every day and most of the motions relevant to freshwater biodiversity were passed without significant amendments. The most important exception was the promising motion to establish a regional organisation in East Asia for the management of aquatic ecosystems, which in essence failed.
“Hellooooo!” An irrawaddy dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) in the Mekong river, one of the rarest dolphins in the world. Photo: WWF.
Some of the highlights though include increased commitments to combat the amphibian crisis with attention given to the importance of regulating the trade of amphibians, a resolution to avert the extinction of rare river and freshwater-dependent dolphins, and the recognition of the connection between food, water, and biodiversity.
But perhaps some of the most significant developments at the congress for freshwater biodiversity weren’t specifically just about freshwater biodiversity. The creation of an IUCN Red List of Ecosystems, which aims to identify threatened ecosystems around the world, is one example. Another is the announcement by IUCN and the European Union to invest €20m in biodiversity and protected areas management, although how much of that will go to freshwater conservation is unclear.
So was it gold for freshwater biodiversity at the ‘Nature Olympics’?
Well, the news was mixed. On one hand, freshwater issues received a fair amount of discussion and attention and there were some important developments, as highlighted above. On the other hand, however, many freshwater species featured on the list of the world’s 100 most threatened species and the plight of freshwater species from Europe to Africa revealed during the congress provides a stark reminder of the challenges that the freshwater conservation community face.
Perhaps not gold then, but maybe bronze.
Why bother saving nature?
A list of the world’s 100 most threatened species was released during the final day of the IUCN congress forum. Of these, 29 were freshwater species. Biodiversity contributes directly to local livelihoods and economic development, but what happens in cases where it doesn’t? Why should we bother saving nature?
The Luristan Newt, one of the most endangered animals on the planet. Photo: Creative Commons.
This question was the theme of the final day of the congress forum. The role of biodiversity was a major focus with a session on engaging business for biodiversity conservation to the announcement of a partnership between Microsoft and IUCN to further strengthen the information available on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN argues that whether it’s through enacting laws and policies, implementing species recovery programmes, establishing protected areas or restoring ecosystems, conserving nature works.
But why bother conserving nature? The protection of biodiversity in watersheds can literally have downstream benefits such as providing clean water to cities, over half of all modern medicines are made from chemicals that have been synthesised from natural sources, and, according to the World Bank, 70% of the world’s poor depend directly on biodiversity for their survival.
Red River giant softshell turtle. Photo: Conservation International
But is there another side to the story? A list of the world’s 100 most threatened species was released today that raised just this question. The thought-provoking title to the report, ‘Priceless or Worthless?’, showed some of the world’s rarest, most unknown and intriguing creatures. Do we really need an economic reason to save these species?
Of these 100 critically endangered species, 29 live in freshwater ecosystems. There were 9 amphibians, 8 freshwater fish, 3 damselflies, 2 river turtles, 2 waterbirds, 2 freshwater molluscs, 2 aquatic plants and 1 freshwater crab featured in this list.
Red-finned blue-eye. Photo: Adam Kerezsy
Some of the most amazing creatures threatened are the Luristan Newt, a strikingly coloured, Iranian amphibian under threat from illegal collection for the pet trade, the red-finned blue-eye, a fish found only in a group of springs on an old cattle station in the outback of Australia that faces threat from an invasive fish species (Gambusia), and the Red River giant softshell turtle, the largest freshwater turtle in the world and also the most endangered – just 4 individuals are left!
Sakhalin taimen. Photo: The Guardian
Other fascinating freshwater species on the list included the Rio Pescado Stubfoot Toad and Hula painted frog, two frogs previously thought to be extinct but found during the ‘search for the lost frogs’ campaign, an aquatic plant (Callitriche pulchra) that exists only in a 2m x 1m pool on a Greek island, a beautiful and previously thought to be extinct damselfly (Cebu frill-wing), the Singapore freshwater crab, a tiny crab surviving in two or three streams in the middle of the heavily urbanised island-state, and the Sakhalin taimen, one of the biggest, most ancient species of salmon with some known to grow to nearly 2 metres in length!
The discussion on the value of conserving nature marked the end of the five-day congress forum with now just 4 days of debate in the member’s assembly left of the congress. Reflecting on the messages of the previous five days, the IUCN Director of Global Policy, Cyriaque Sendashonga, was not so much concerned with definitions of ‘green growth’ or ‘biodiversity’. As long as we know what the vision is, such as “providing opportunities for economic activity, which does not undermine the environment and, of course, leads to well-being for everybody”, we can take action, she said. “That’s the vision, let’s just do it.”
Day 4 at the IUCN Congress: Sharing Nature’s Benefits for All
People and nature. That was the theme of the day at the IUCN congress. Specifically, how best to share the benefits of nature for all was the topic of conservation. Freshwater also received attention, with a report describing the threats to freshwater biodiversity in Northern Africa.
According to Gonzalo Oviedo, IUCN Special Adviser for Social Policy, “Everybody in the world, in one way or another, depends on nature … Now the problem is that in the world not everyone enjoys the same benefits of nature.” He lists food insecurity, drought and degraded environments as examples of where this type of inequality exists with many indigenous and poorer, vulnerable communities most at risk. Sustainability, he argues, is not just about “counting species or measuring the flow of water”, but about how all people can enjoy the benefits of nature, now and in the future.
Typical freshwater ecosystem in Northern Africa. Photo courtesy of IUCN.
While the focus of the day was on ensuring that everyone shares in the benefits of nature, there was still plenty of discussion about freshwater issues. One of the headline messages of the day was the dire status of freshwater biodiversity in Northern Africa with a report released during a press conference. The report showed that 28% of all freshwater species in Northern Africa are regionally threatened with extinction. Furthermore, there are many species that are endemic to North Africa and almost half of these (47%) are faced with extinction, meaning once they are gone, they will be found nowhere else in the world. The worst effected species are freshwater molluscs and fish with 45% and 27% of species threatened with extinction, respectively.
Water is a precious resource in Northern Africa, so the oases and few rivers in the region are under increasing pressures. The main pressures identified in the report are habitat loss and destruction and pollution.In addition, climate change is likely to play a factor as increased frequency and severity of weather events such as droughts will have significant adverse affects on freshwater biodiversity. For more on the threat facing the remarkable oasis ecosystems of North Africa, see here.
The Siwa Oasis, Egypt. Photo courtesy of IUCN.
Freshwater also featured in several other forums including a motion recognising the human right to water, a discussion on the challenges of managing water resources in the Himalayas, and a proposal to implement an ecosystems approach to water resources management water.
A particularly interesting approach to conserving freshwater ecosystems that was discussed was the use music, art and stories to explain and connect the science and protection of watersheds with indigenous communities in North and South America. It is also being used as way to represent the spirit of the river in the context of the conservation of the watershed.
Although water did not feature explicitly in much of the discussions about sharing the benefits of nature, freshwater conservation was again on the agenda at the IUCN congress. Watch here for an update on freshwater-related developments at the congress tomorrow.
Is economic growth and environmental protection possible? This was the theme of day three of the IUCN congress and the message from the discussions was positive, particularly for freshwater ecosystems.
Pushing the green economy was high on the agenda during the third day of the IUCN congress. Recognising that healthy ecosystems such as forests, wetlands and river basins play a major role in supporting local livelihoods as well as providing investment opportunities is central to achieve a transition to a green economy. The role that freshwater ecosystems play in providing essential ecosystem services received plenty of attention during the day’s discussion.
Wetland Ecosystem. Photo Courtesy of IUCN.
Among the most significant of the day’s announcements was the creation of an IUCN Red List of ecosystems. The list will identify vulnerable, endangered and critically endangered ecosystems based on an internationally recognised set of criteria. The reason behind the advent of a red list for ecosystems is, according to Jon Paul Rodriguez, Leader of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management’s Ecosystems Red List Thematic Group, that “functional ecosystems are essential to our livelihoods and well-being”.
The creation of this new red list can assist conservation action on the ground in areas such as land use planning and investment priorities, evaluation of the risks of ecosystem collapse and the subsequent loss of ecosystem services. This is a hugely important development for all ecosystems, and in particular freshwater ecosystems, considering the significant services they provide and the critical status of many. The aim of the IUCN is to have full global coverage of all of Earth’s marine, terrestrial, freshwater and subterranean ecosystems at local, regional and global levels by 2025
In addition to the new Red List for ecosystems, a ‘Green List’ was also announced that will highlight successful management of protected areas. Success would be based on agreed criteria, but would take into account the achievement of conservation goals, effective management and ensuring equitable governance. Predicted benefits include greater international recognition of protected areas and an increased interest in quality eco-tourism.
Grouper Fish. Courtesy of IUCN
Another interesting highlight that attempts to couple environmental protection with a thriving economic industry is the Mr. Goodfish campaign. The campaign, which is supported by the fisheries industries in France, Spain and Italy, emphasises the need to shift our consumption of fish to a seasonal basis. “If you want to keep on eating fish, you need to choose the right fish today” explained Ludovic Escoffier from Mr. Goodfish. This successful campaign comes on the back of figures that show that 40% of freshwater fish in Europe are threatened with extinction and provides some hope that sustainable consumption is possible.
So what do you think? Is it possible to combine ecosystem preservation with economic growth?
Day 2 of the IUCN congress focused on the nexus between biodiversity, water and food security and saw the World Bank get serious about nature conservation.
A diversity of food at market. Photo: Claudia Peters
The day’s theme was ‘secure nature, secure food, secure water‘. Highlighting the link between biodiversity, water and food security, the aim was to address a lack of understanding among many policy makers of the importance of biodiversity for achieving food security. Wild sources of food are often overlooked in discussions about food security, but they form an integral part of many people’s diets around the world, especially for poorer, rural communities. Humans consume more than 7,000 different species of plants and animals, many of them wild!
In addition, loss of biodiversity and degradation of ecosystems undermines health, livelihoods, food production, and the availability of clean water. For example, many freshwater molluscs, such as clams and mussels, make up important parts of people’s diets, but they also play a crucial roles as natural filters of freshwater ecosystems and barometers of ecosystem health. Yet freshwater molluscs are among the species that are most threatened with extinction.
The focus of discussions ranged from the role of technology to energy consumption and agriculture, but unfortunately the role of freshwater biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides was not explicitly covered. While the topic was a hotly debated one, one message was clear: food security in the coming years can and must be based on equitable and sustainable use of natural resources.
In another significant development, the World Bank stated today that it is necessary to “put nature at the heart of the economy”. Rachel Kyte, Vice President of Sustainable Development at the World Bank, stressed in a speech the need to put nature at the centre of economic strategies and argued that we need economic growth with an environmental dimension. She also called on the private sector to take nature conservation seriously, even recommending that nature be discussed in the boardroom.
The BioFresh Booth!
While all this was going on, BioFresh hosted a presentation on the use of freshwater biodiversity data to aid in conservation planning and introduced the BioFresh data portal to the IUCN congress. The presentation discussed the importance of improving the availability and accessibility of biodiversity data for obtaining a better understanding of species distribution and threats, which is necessary for setting conservation priorities. The BioFresh data portal helps scientists to advertise and publish their data(bases) and to provide tools for the discovery, integration and analysis of open and freely accessible freshwater biodiversity data.
With the presentation finished, there was just enough time for our BioFresh representative, Aaike de Wever, to take a stroll around the exhibition hall. There are over 150 booths in the exhibition hall with representatives from organisations as diverse as Conservation International, Google, France (!) and even a booth about buddhist culture. It’s great to see such a wide range of voices represented and discussing nature conservation and development issues!
More about freshwater at the IUCN Congress soon!
Action Packed Start to the IUCN Congress
A protest by environmental activists, controversy over the Korean Four Major Rivers Project and alarming new information about the plight of invertebrate and freshwater species marked the first full day of the IUCN Congress at Jeju.
‘No! Naval Base in Jeju!!’ Anti-base protesters hang banners from construction site. Photo courtesy of Environment News Service.
With the opening ceremony and welcome speeches out of the way, the first full day of the congress was packed with action. The day started with a protest at dawn against the construction of a naval base in Jeju, just one kilometre from the Jeju Volcanic Island World Heritage site. In the course of the protest, the five demonstrators were allegedly assaulted by construction workers and then arrested by police and held in jail.
Mayor of Gangjeong, the village threatened by naval base development, addresses crowd at the 2012 IUCN congress. Photo courtesy of IUCN.
In a forum about integrating ethics into the management of water ecosystems, in which BioFresh participated, this issue was, unsurprisingly, high on the agenda. In addition to the ‘No Naval Base’ controversy, the proposed ‘Four Major Rivers Restoration Project‘ also came under scrutiny in the meeting. The project, labelled as a ‘green growth’ project by the Korean government, straightened four major rivers in Korea to improve water security and flood prevention, but has been ranked among the five most destructive wetland projects in the world by the World Wetland Network, raising serious questions about the priorities of a ‘green economy’ approach. But the discussion also raised wider questions about how the IUCN can balance partnerships with governments (and corporations), while also being critical of projects that have negative environmental impacts.
In other developments, two sessions at the Species pavilion again drew attention to the seriousness of the biodiversity crisis, and in particular the freshwater biodiversity crisis. A new report, Spineless, on the status and trends of the world’s invertebrates showed that 1 in 5 invertebrate species were facing the risk of extinction with freshwater species most at risk (full report here).
In addition, new figures from the IUCN European Red List that assessed 5,872 European species found that at least 1 in 4 (1,465) species were threatened with extinction. A further 920 species could not be assessed due to insufficient data, highlighting the need for more research. Of the species threatened, freshwater species faced the highest risks of extinction by far. For example, 59% of freshwater molluscs, 40% of freshwater fish, 23% of amphibians, 16% of dragonflies, and 8% of aquatic plants are all threatened with extinction!
These findings demonstrate the urgent need to raise the conservation and policy profiles of both invertebrates and freshwater species. All in all, it was not a great news day for freshwater species, but at least they are finally getting some attention!
Stay tuned for more updates on freshwater issues at the IUCN congress and a discussion on the ‘Spineless’ report on invertebrates.
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