Management and Conservation of Fish Populations in Mountain Streams: An Holistic Approach in the Framework of LIFE DIVAQUA Project †
by
, ,
Alejandra Goldenberg-Vilar
1, 
Mario Álvarez Cabria
1,
Francisco J. Peñas
1,
Alexia González Ferreras
1,
Francisco Javier Sanz-Ronda
2,‡,
Noel Quevedo
3 and
José Barquín
1,* 1
IHCantabria—Instituto de Hidráulica Ambiental de la Universidad de Cantabria, Parque Científico y Tecnológico de Cantabria C/Isabel Torres, Nº 15-C.P., 39011 Santander, Spain
2
Area of Hydraulics and Hydrology, Department of Agroforestry Engineering, University of Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, Campus La Yutera, 34004 Palencia, Spain
3
Red Cambera, Apdo. Correos 4013, 39011 Santander, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
Presented at the IX Iberian Congress of Ichthyology, Porto, Portugal, 20–23 June 2022.
‡
Presenting author (Poster presentation).
Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2022, 13(1), 106; https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2022013106
Published: 16 June 2022
(This article belongs to the Proceedings of The IX Iberian Congress of Ichthyology)
Abstract
:The recovery of threatened and endangered fish species is among the highest priorities for biodiversity conservation in national parks and fisheries management in nearby areas. Threats to fish populations are numerous and include habitat fragmentation and degradation, proliferation of invasive and pathogen species, and climate change. Moreover, mountain areas often share the most critical threats. However, there does not exist a common strategy that integrates conservation and management plans for fish populations in mountain areas. In this regard, LIFE DIVAQUA designed a conservation strategy that integrates new knowledge gained from scientific research and long-term monitoring data, and considers the main threats to fish populations in mountain areas: (1) A long term monitoring program has been already implemented for 10 years, revealing temporal trends of fish populations in mountain streams. (2) Modeling of fish population by the use of environmental DNA allowed analyzing fish distributions in areas with scarce data and evaluating habitat suitability maps. (3) Fishways construction and removal of river barriers substantially increased the distribution area of endangered species. (4) The analysis of climate change effects in water temperature and hydrology led to the implementation of environmental flows under a climate change scenario; (5) Monitoring fish diseases, their occurrence, and temporal changes (e.g., Aeromonas spp.) can be used as an early warning signal of ecosystem unbalance. A pilot study for the implementation of this conservation and management plan in the LIFE DIVAQUA project is showing promising results. However, the success of conservation and management strategies requires a broader approach. This includes the participation of a wide range of partners and stakeholders and utilizes independent scientific oversight, assessment, and project adjustments to ensure conservation goals are met.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, A.G.-V., F.J.S.-R., M.Á.C., F.J.P. and J.B.; methodology, A.G.-V., F.J.P., A.G.F., M.Á.C. and F.J.S.-R.; validation, M.Á.C., A.G.F. and A.G.-V.; formal analysis, M.Á.C., A.G.F., A.G.-V. and J.B.; investigation, F.J.S.-R., M.Á.C., A.G.F., A.G.-V. and J.B.; data curation, M.Á.C., A.G.-V. and A.G.F.; writing—original draft preparation, A.G.-V.; writing—review and editing, A.G.-V., M.Á.C., A.G.F., F.J.P., F.J.S.-R., N.Q. and J.B.; visualization, A.G.-V., F.J.S.-R. and N.Q.; supervision, project administration, funding acquisition, J.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research was financed by the European Commission Life Program Nature and Biodiversity. Reference: LIFE18 NAT/ES/000121.
Institutional Review Board Statement
The study was conducted according to the European Union ethical guidelines (Directive 2010/63/UE) and Spanish Act RD 53/2013 and approved by the competent authorities (Regional Government on Natural Resources of Castilla y León, Principado de Asturias and Cantabria).
Informed Consent Statement
Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement
Not applicable.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Share and Cite
MDPI and ACS Style
Goldenberg-Vilar, A.; Cabria, M.Á.; Peñas, F.J.; González Ferreras, A.; Sanz-Ronda, F.J.; Quevedo, N.; Barquín, J. Management and Conservation of Fish Populations in Mountain Streams: An Holistic Approach in the Framework of LIFE DIVAQUA Project. Biol. Life Sci. Forum 2022, 13, 106. https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2022013106
AMA Style
Goldenberg-Vilar A, Cabria MÁ, Peñas FJ, González Ferreras A, Sanz-Ronda FJ, Quevedo N, Barquín J. Management and Conservation of Fish Populations in Mountain Streams: An Holistic Approach in the Framework of LIFE DIVAQUA Project. Biology and Life Sciences Forum. 2022; 13(1):106. https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2022013106
Chicago/Turabian StyleGoldenberg-Vilar, Alejandra, Mario Álvarez Cabria, Francisco J. Peñas, Alexia González Ferreras, Francisco Javier Sanz-Ronda, Noel Quevedo, and José Barquín. 2022. "Management and Conservation of Fish Populations in Mountain Streams: An Holistic Approach in the Framework of LIFE DIVAQUA Project" Biology and Life Sciences Forum 13, no. 1: 106. https://doi.org/10.3390/blsf2022013106
