KATHMANDU, Jan 13: A study has shown that more than 24 percent of fishes, crustaceans and some insects that thrive in fresh and clean water are on the verge of extinction. Approximately 23,496 aquatic species are under the sway of this risk.
Freshwater resources are spread over only one percent of the Earth's surface. But that one percent of water is home to more than 10 percent of known species. Just like marine and terrestrial ecosystems, their lives are said to be in danger. This study shows that aquatic animals growing in freshwater are beginning to face a biodiversity crisis.
Saving biodiversity has become a major challenge for scientists. Researchers studied 23,496 species living in water. Fish, crustaceans (shrimp, crayfish, crabs) and insects (dragonflies and damselflies) are also at risk. If measures to address their extinction are not set into motion soon, 24 percent of species are at a serious risk of perishing within a few years.
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Catherine Sawyer, a conservationist and head of Wedge Research, said pollution, dams, water extraction, agriculture and invasive species have undermined the aquatic ecosystem. She further added that overfishing is also driving the species to extinction. The study was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.
Some species are already on the verge of extinction. These include the mini blue bee shrimp, the Seychelles dusk hawker dragonfly, the Atlantic helicopter damselfly, the daisy burrowing crayfish, the humpback mahseer fish and the little-nosed sucker fish.
These species are found in places like waterfalls, rivers and swamps. Since 1970, the researchers claim that less than a third of these creatures have been found in those areas. Of the species studied, the number of crustaceans (30 percent), fish (26 percent) and dragonfly-damselflies (16 percent) have declined. Freshwater ecosystems are indispensable for biodiversity, but this interconnected web of ecosystems is gradually being eroded.
Researchers have identified four areas around the world where the most endangered species live. They include Victoria Falls in Africa, Lake Titicaca in South America, and parts of western India and Sri Lanka. The species thriving in water are under threat due to increasing pollution and overfishing. In addition, their numbers are rapidly declining due to excessive agricultural activities and the presence of invasive species, according to the news agency Reuters.
