A new study published in the “Nature Journal” on Wednesday warned that 24% of all freshwater life is under threat of extinction due to human activity.
The study shows that the biggest culprits in threatening freshwater fauna are “pollution, dams and water extraction, agriculture, and invasive species, with overharvesting also driving extinction.” The paper also highlights that data sampled from actual freshwater life is virtually nonexistent.
For the first time, researchers have conducted a freshwater fauna assessment that studies the density of various species of crustaceans, fishes, and odonates. All previous studies only looked at lifeforms that live near freshwater sources “to guide environmental policy,” the research abstract states.
The gap in data highlights a significant information oversight on the effect human intervention has on multiple freshwater habitats.
“Huge rivers like the Amazon can appear mighty, but at the same time, freshwater environments are very fragile,” study co-author Patricia Charvet told Associated Press (AP).
As Morocco is currently building 16 new dams across the Kingdom to make the most of local water resources, lawmakers are now faced with the responsibility of maintaining freshwater fauna as new data on the situation is released.