Diversity and Conservation of Freshwater Invertebrates

Dear Colleagues,

Freshwater ecosystems worldwide host a diverse invertebrate fauna but the rapid loss and deterioration of freshwater bodies, driven by human population growth and deforestation, is having a negative impact on inland aquatic biodiversity. The result is that many species are now under imminent threat. Conservation status studies are only available for a few groups of aquatic invertebrates, but these suggest that a third to half of the species in some freshwater habitats may be endangered. However, reliable species lists and diversity estimates are not available for some invertebrate groups, and the threat status of the majority of freshwater invertebrate groups is still not known. The following questions are examples of topics to be discussed. How do we best study, manage, and conserve freshwater invertebrates? Should we develop conservation measures for threatened species that focus at the level of specific habitats, river basins, or entire ecosystems? Do we understand the causes of species extinctions and can we intervene before threatened species decline to levels from which they cannot recover? Finally, global climate change is likely to further increase the negative impacts and threats to invertebrates and may accelerate the number of species in the world’s freshwater ecosystems that are under imminent threat.

Prof. Dr. Neil Cumberlidge
Guest Editor