Search Results (260)

In this review, I synthesize recent evidence showing how climate acceleration, biosphere disruption, food and freshwater insecurity, pollution, disease, and inequality are increasingly converging into a single, interconnected sustainability challenge. I show that the Anthropocene crisis extends far beyond climate warming and its impacts alone: current national commitments remain consistent with warming of approximately 2.3–2.5 °C under full implementation, while current policies could produce up to 2.8 °C; however, the remaining carbon budget for a 50% chance of limiting warming to 1.5 °C may be exhausted within only a few years, and the oil and gas industry has committed to a 14% increase in upstream production over the period 2024–2030. At the same time, pollution remains responsible for approximately nine million deaths annually; agriculture accounts for roughly 70% of global freshwater withdrawals; and groundwater depletion, continental drying, marine heatwaves, weakening carbon sinks, and intensifying precipitation extremes are destabilizing the ecological and hydrological systems that sustain human health and food security. This review’s incremental contribution is the integration of these trends within a justice-centered sustainability framework that links Earth-system feedback, public health burdens, water insecurity, and institutional failure rather than treating them as separate environmental problems. I argue that because vulnerability is produced not by exposure alone but by unequal access to infrastructure, wealth, governance capacity, and political power, a viable response therefore requires more than decarbonization: it demands ecological restoration, food and water-centered governance, pollution and disease mitigation, and justice-based institutional reform capable of sustaining human dignity, equity, and resilience within planetary boundaries. I encourage resilience and sustainability programs around the world to fold in these additional challenges to their missions and goals. Full article

Soil organic carbon (SOC) restoration in degraded drylands is increasingly promoted for climate mitigation and hydrological co-benefits, yet the scale at which these benefits remain detectable remains uncertain. We therefore evaluate SOC recovery and its hydrological effects across three scales—local, basin, and Earth-system—for a 220,966 ha rangeland restoration pilot in Öndörshireet soum, Central Mongolia, using a cold-calibrated RothC model, Monte Carlo uncertainty propagation, machine-learning-assisted measurement support, and basin-scale mass-balance accounting. Baseline SOC averaged 28.27 tC ha⁻¹, and 20-year RothC simulations projected SOC gains of 0.9–6.4 tC ha⁻¹ across rotational, fenced, and seeded–fenced strata. Monte Carlo emission-reduction rates were 0.33–2.19 tCO₂e ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, and the conservative VM0042 deduction chain yielded approximately 10,900–12,200 verified carbon units per year. At the local scale, translating SOC gains into plant-available water capacity produced a small but positive hydrological response—reduced flash runoff, lower flood exceedance and storm runoff, higher baseflow contribution, and lower streamflow flashiness—expressed through flow stabilization rather than increased annual water volume. Across the three scales evaluated here, SOC recovery yields a small increase in plant-available water capacity (≈0.09 mm) locally, associated with reduced flash runoff and greater flow stability; at the basin scale, the signal is three to four orders of magnitude below interannual discharge variability; and at the Earth-system scale, no measurable freshwater or global cooling effect is supported. National-scale estimates indicate substantial credible mitigation potential but negligible Arctic freshwater impacts. By separating local mechanisms from basin- and Earth-system detectability, this framework distinguishes credible local co-benefits from Earth-system over-attribution in dryland carbon projects. Full article

Reintroduction programmes are increasingly used to restore threatened freshwater fishes, yet evaluating their success remains challenging during the early stages of population establishment. Genetic monitoring is commonly used to assess diversity but rarely provides direct evidence of natural reproduction. Here, we investigated natural reproduction following reintroduction in the endangered Zingel asper, a benthic fish endemic to the Rhône River basin. Between 2006 and 2015, more than 25,000 captive-bred individuals from two source populations were released into the Drôme River (France). Using 54 microsatellite loci, we assessed genetic diversity, effective population size, relatedness and inbreeding, reconstructed parentage relationships, and evaluated admixture among source lineages through hybrid assignment analyses. Wild source populations differed markedly in genetic diversity and effective population size, whereas captive propagation reduced genetic diversity and increased relatedness and inbreeding. Despite these effects, the reintroduced population exhibited higher allelic richness than any captive cohort. Parentage analyses provided direct genetic evidence of natural reproduction by identifying individuals whose genetic origin could not be explained by the captive breeding pedigree. Hybrid assignment analyses independently confirmed admixture between source lineages. These results show how complementary genetic approaches can provide early evidence of reintroduction success and support adaptive management of threatened fish populations. Full article

Mangrove forests provide essential ecosystem services but are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic pressures and climate-related disturbances. Effective and accessible tools for assessing mangrove ecosystem condition are therefore needed to soundly support their conservation and management. This study adapted the “Coastal Health” framework originally proposed for assessing coastal ecosystems health to evaluate the health status of mangrove forests along the Caribbean coast of Colombia. Using freely available high-resolution imagery from Google Earth Pro 7.3, complemented by field observations, technical reports, and unpublished literature, 56 mangrove sites distributed across eight coastal departments were assessed according to their ecological integrity, hydrological connectivity, sediment dynamics, freshwater and marine inputs, mangrove species condition, and their potential for landward and seaward migration. The results showed that 54% of the evaluated sites were classified as being in “Good Health”, while 2% were categorized as “Health Warning”, 3% as “Surface Wounds”, 14% as “Minor Injury”, 25% as “Major Injury”, and 2% as “Deceased”. Mangroves in good condition were generally associated with protected areas, river mouths, estuaries, and relatively isolated coastal systems, whereas degraded ecosystems were affected by urban expansion, tourism infrastructure, hydrological alterations, coastal engineering works, and reduced freshwater inputs. The proposed methodology proved to be a simple, low-cost, and easily replicable tool for large-scale mangrove health assessment. It provides valuable information for prioritizing conservation and restoration actions and can be adapted to support mangrove monitoring and ecosystem-based coastal management in other regions worldwide. Full article

The 2015 Mariana mining disaster in Minas Gerais, Brazil, profoundly altered the abiotic conditions of the Rio Doce basin, severely affecting aquatic biodiversity. Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera (EPT), widely recognized as sensitive bioindicators of freshwater disturbance, were used to assess long-term ecological responses to this event. Forty sites across the basin were sampled, including twenty affected by mining tailings and twenty unaffected reference sites, collecting adult and immature EPT along with physical and chemical and habitat data. It was evaluated how tailings deposition, abiotic factors, spatial scale, life stage, and climatic variation influenced EPT community structure seven years after the disaster. EPT communities showed persistent negative responses in impacted areas, with reduced species richness, shifts in species composition, and increased dominance of generalist taxa. Tailings deposition also altered environmental conditions, intensifying the effects of pre-existing stressors on aquatic assemblages. Responses varied across spatial scales and life stages, highlighting the complexity of disturbance effects on freshwater insect communities. Climatic variation further influenced community dynamics, interacting with local environmental conditions to shape recovery trajectories. Our findings demonstrate that the disaster produced lasting ecological impacts, reinforcing the importance of multi-scale monitoring to understand biodiversity responses and guide conservation and restoration strategies in disturbed river ecosystems. Full article

We present a 42-year (1984–2025) Landsat consistent satellite vegetation trajectory for coastal wetlands in the Shell Beach area in the Breton Sound estuary, Louisiana. We applied the Controlled Interrupted Time Series (CITS) analysis to the satellite record to quantify the causal effect of the 2009 Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) closure on the coastal wetland vegetation. The analysis used NDVI, kNDVI, and NDII across 88 vegetation transect plots located within five Coastal Reference and Monitoring Systems (CRMS) stations in the Shell Beach wetlands. Vegetation communities identified included Saline, Brackish, Freshwater, and Intermediate marsh. Sentinel-2 data from 2015 to 2025 were retained as an independent parallel record for NDRE analysis only. Quarterly median composites were decomposed using the Seasonal-Trend decomposition using LOESS (STL) to isolate de-seasonalized vegetation anomalies. The CITS design used segmented Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression with Newey–West HAC standard errors (lag = 3) at the study area. Northern Barataria Bay was used as an untreated regional control site to remove concurrent climate and sea level rise confounders. Whilst Hurricane Katrina and subsequent years (2005–2008) were excluded from the models, the single group ITS identified significant negative post-closure slope change across three indices. These were NDVI (β3 = −0.0034 yr⁻¹, p = 0.000), NDII (β3 = −0.0032 yr⁻¹), and kNDVI (β3 = −0.0016 yr⁻¹). These values indicated continued site-level decline relative to the pre-closure trend. Community-stratified ITS analysis showed a distinct divergent pattern with Freshwater marshes demonstrating significant recovery, with NDVI β3 = +0.0190 yr⁻¹, p = 0.000, whilst Saline, Brackish, and Intermediate communities continued to decline. CITS Difference-in-Differences (DiD) confirmed that site-level NDII and kNDVI declines were MRGO-specific. The DiD findings were that NDII = −0.00313 yr⁻¹, p < 0.001; kNDVI = −0.00123 yr⁻¹, p = 0.008. These findings isolated that physiological water stress and the non-linear biomass losses were a result of the MRGO-closure. The Freshwater DiD for NDVI (+0.02071 yr⁻¹, p = 0.000) was the strongest evidence of MRGO-specific recovery. Barataria Freshwater declined, whilst the Shell Beach Freshwater recovered. The results demonstrated that multi-index decadal Landsat monitoring with seasonal decomposition and full inter-sensor harmonization is essential for restoration trajectory assessment in managed coastal wetlands. Full article

Nutrient stoichiometry, particularly the balance of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), plays a fundamental role in regulating freshwater ecosystem dynamics, primary production, and biogeochemical cycling. This study presents one of the first dedicated reviews to combine bibliometric mapping with ecological synthesis of C:N:P ratios in inland waters, drawing on 1004 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection (2000–2025), comprising peer-reviewed articles and review articles refined by document type, language, and research area. Bibliometric mapping using VOSviewer (version 1.6.20) identified exponential growth in publications after 2010, with phosphorus dynamics and eutrophication emerging as the most-cited themes, while recent years have shown increasing attention to C:P ratios as reliable ecological indicators. Four dominant thematic clusters were identified: Nutrient Cycling and Biogeochemistry; Phytoplankton and Food Web Dynamics; Eutrophication and Water Quality; and Climate Change and Ecosystem Responses. Ecological synthesis demonstrated substantial deviations from the canonical Redfield ratio (106C:16N:1P), with pronounced stoichiometric variability across trophic states, latitudes, and ecosystem types. Case comparisons revealed high C:P ratios in Arctic and alpine lakes linked to dissolved organic carbon inputs, low N:P ratios in tropical waters that promote cyanobacterial dominance, and stable, low phosphorus concentrations in deep African lakes. These findings emphasize the significance of flexible stoichiometry in predicting ecosystem tipping points, managing harmful algal blooms (HABs), and guiding nutrient restoration strategies. By integrating bibliometric and ecological evidence, this study identifies C:P ratios as a promising candidate indicator that merits further field validation for freshwater management, while underscoring persistent research gaps in microbial stoichiometry, cross-scalar modeling, and policy uptake in the Global South. Full article

Transitional waters—such as estuaries, lagoons, deltas, and coastal wetlands—are dynamic environments where freshwater and seawater interact, forming highly productive and biologically diverse ecosystems. Shaped by temperature and salinity gradients, tidal influence, sediment transport, and nutrient-rich conditions, these habitats support diverse ecological functions. Their structural complexity—including seagrass beds, salt marshes, mudflats, and mangroves—provides essential habitats for many fish species. These areas are crucial for fish life cycles, serving as nurseries, spawning grounds, feeding zones, and refuges from predators. Many commercially important species depend on them during early life stages before moving offshore, making them vital for both commercial and recreational fisheries. Beyond food provision, they deliver key ecosystem services, including water purification, coastal protection, and carbon storage. Research on the fish community of the Ria Formosa lagoon in Portugal since the 1980s highlights long-term changes in the fish community and the dominant role of habitat structure and temporal dynamics. Subtidal seagrass beds support higher fish abundance and diversity than unvegetated areas, acting as key nursery habitats and provide important fish provisioning services. Seasonal variation is also central, driven by recruitment pulses of marine migrants in late winter–spring. Recent pressures on this system have been driven by human activity and environmental change. Seagrass loss reduces nursery and feeding areas, while pollution degrades water quality. Overfishing (including illegal fishing), recreational activities, and aquaculture expansion add stress. Climate warming and invasive species such as Caulerpa prolifera, further disrupt ecosystem balance and threaten biodiversity. Sustainable management—such as habitat restoration, protected areas, and integrated policies—is essential to preserve the ecological and economic value of this unique lagoon. Ongoing research, monitoring, habitat restoration, and stakeholder engagement remain critical for ensuring resilience. Full article

Introduction: River connectivity is a fundamental component of lotic ecosystems, frequently disrupted by anthropogenic barriers. Fishways are critical mitigation tools for restoring this connectivity; however, their temporal use by fish is often assumed to be restricted to specific seasonal windows (mainly spawning season). Understanding the fine-scale temporal dynamics of fishway use by native species such as the common barbel (Luciobarbus bocagei) is essential for effective, long-term river management and the conservation of Iberian freshwater biodiversity. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the daily and seasonal patterns of use of pool-type fishways by L. bocagei, in order to improve the determination of their temporal period of use and provide data-driven recommendations for their management. Methodology: The study was conducted in the middle reach of the Duero River (Burgos province). Over a multi-year period, more than 1000 individual barbels were captured, tagged with Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tags, and released. Movements were continuously monitored across two pool-type fishways. Telemetry detection data were analyzed to evaluate daily rhythms and seasonal use, as well as to estimate the start and end dates of the movement periods. Results: Our analysis revealed a highly marked daily pattern in fishway use, showing a clear increase during daylight hours, with more pronounced peaks at dawn and dusk. This daily activity dynamically adjusts throughout the year in response to the solar cycle. Furthermore, we successfully determined that the seasonal activity extends from March to November, a pattern that remained consistent throughout the different study years. Crucially, the telemetry data empirically demonstrated that L. bocagei utilizes fishways for a substantial portion of the year, indicating relevant non-reproductive movements. Conclusions: The extended temporal use of these fishways indicates their potential ecological functions throughout much of the year. This must be reflected in management and maintenance protocols that ensure sufficient flow conditions, cleaning, and active vigilance during most of the year. Additionally, this predictability reinforces the value of fishways as strategic biological monitoring stations for endemic populations. Full article

Introduction: Artificial infrastructure interrupts river longitudinal connectivity, preventing the free flow of water, matter, energy, and organisms through the system, altering the habitat and impacting freshwater biodiversity. Freshwater fishes are especially sensitive to this threat, since they are constrained to the limits of the river network. Transversal obstacles, such as dams and weirs, hinder their movements upstream and downstream and fragment populations. Longitudinal connectivity can be simply measured as the proportion of connected river length in a basin. However, other indices have been suggested more recently, measuring connectivity as the proportion of connected elements of interest (e.g., populations of a species) in a river basin. Objective: The aim of this work was to study (1) the degree of connectivity of native freshwater fish species populations in eleven Spanish river basins and (2) the impact of artificial river fragmentation in these basins on population connectivity. Methodology: Fish populations’ location and size were estimated through sampling presence data, and completed using the predicted occurrence of each species in a river basin, calculated through Species Distribution Models (SDMs). To estimate the degree of connectivity between populations of each species, the Population Connectivity Index (PCI) was calculated under two scenarios: the “current” scenario, considering all the artificial obstacles fragmenting the river network and their specific passabilities, and the “natural” scenario, considering that all the artificial obstacles in the river network were completely passable. Results: Native freshwater fish populations are severely fragmented in Spanish rivers, with a mean current PCI of 9.8% across species and river basins. The impact of artificial fragmentation is high, causing a mean decrease in PCI of 52 percentage points across species and river basins. Moreover, although the impact of artificial river fragmentation is high in all river basins, it is important to point out that there are significant differences between river basins attributed to their size and the specific traits of the ichthyofauna inhabiting them. Conclusions: The degree of connectivity in a river basin varies depending on the elements of interest considered. Therefore, incorporating ichthyofauna into the decision-making process is essential to improve the effectiveness of river restoration actions. Full article

Mangrove forests in northern Mozambique were impacted by human and natural pressures, causing channel blockage, permanent flooding, and tree die back. To address the issue, hydrological restoration was carried out in August 2024, excavating 6.88 km of channels, with impact in 38 ha of degraded mangrove. The intervention area was divided into three zones, upper, middle, and lower, based on ecological and environmental characteristics. This study reports on the monitoring carried out 4 and 10 months later. Site salinity approached optimal levels for mangrove growth, dropping by 56% in high-salinity zones, and increasing above 100% in freshwater-invaded zones. The intervention also homogenized the previously distinct upper, middle, and lower zones to more statistically similar groups (Dunn post hoc: p > 0.05). Moreover, seedling density increased from 57.1 ± 44.1 to 4864 ± 1778.6 seedlings/ha; additionally, regenerating species increased in numbers (1 to 3 mangrove species in middle zone; and 0 to 3 mangrove species in lower zone). The study also reports the dieback of competing species, Juncus kraussii and Cyperus articulates. These changes result from the improved tidal flow and general habitat conditions in the restored site. This restoration offers a model for scaling up restoration efforts across the region, where ecological restoration remains underrepresented in many mangrove restoration initiatives. Full article

The subtropical and tropical islands of East Asia host a unique and highly endemic aquatic insect fauna threatened by a variety of anthropogenic stressors (e.g., invasive species, habitat fragmentation, pollution, and climate change). This review synthesizes the impacts of these stressors on aquatic insect diversity across this region based on 206 articles published over the past 40 years (1985–2025) to evaluate the impacts of these stressors on insular aquatic insect diversity. The islands of East Asia include all or parts of China, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. The annual number of publications demonstrates a steady upward trend over time and has been accelerating in the last decade. Our systematic analysis reveals a large geographic disparity. Research is heavily concentrated on major islands, with Honshu Island (42%) and Taiwan Island (24%) accounting for two-thirds of the total literature, while small islands (<10,000 km²) comprise only 20%. Furthermore, current research tends to focus on independent impacts of single stressors, largely overlooking the complex additive, synergistic, or antagonistic interactions that characterize stressors on these fragile ecosystems. These research gaps, compounded by a lack of long-term monitoring data (i.e., only ~22% of the studies span more than 3 years), hinder efforts to distinguish natural inter-annual variability from anthropogenic shifts. The extinction of cryptic or endemic species may occur before these species are identified and described. In addition, the disentanglement of these interactive impacts on aquatic insect communities in East Asian islands is critical for predicting ecosystem responses to further local and global changes. Identification of non-linear ecological tipping points through these long-term monitoring networks, coupled with proactive, science-guided habitat restoration, is essential to mitigate imminent extinctions and to rebuild the functional integrity of these imperiled freshwater ecosystems. Full article

Introduction: The Guadiana basin harbours one of the most threatened freshwater fish faunas in Europe, concentrating a high number of Iberian endemisms and species of high conservation interest. Among these, the Iberian minnowcarp (Anaecypris hispanica) and the Iberian Arched-Mouth Nase (Iberochondrostoma lemmingii) stand out as threatened species whose populations are in serious decline. Methodology: In March 2023, an obsolete river barrier, the Galaches weir, was removed from the Odeleite River (Guadiana basin), releasing an 8 km lotic stretch previously inaccessible to downstream fish fauna. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of weir removal on the composition and structure of the fish community, using a Before-After design with fish sampling conducted before (2022) and after (2024) weir removal. Fish sampling took place in early summer by means of electrofishing in two 150 m long river sites, one upstream and one downstream of the weir. Results: Before removal, both upstream and downstream sites were dominated by native leuciscids (A. hispanica, I. lemmingii, Squalius pyrenaicus, and Pseudochondrostoma willkommii) and cyprinids (Luciobarbus spp.), with non-natives Lepomis gibbosus and Australoheros facetus occurring in lower abundance. After removal, native species remained clearly dominant at both sites, while A. facetus was no longer detected and L. gibbosus did not increase in abundance, suggesting that barrier removal did not favour the spread of non-native fish. Species size–structure revealed the presence of multiple size classes, possibly supporting a regular recruitment of key native taxa: A. hispanica occurred almost exclusively with total lengths of 4 to 6 cm, whereas I. lemmingii and other native leuciscids displayed broader size ranges, spanning juveniles to adults, consistent with sustained reproduction and growth in the restored river stretch. Conclusions: These findings support the hypothesis that weir removal has improved the sustainability of native fish populations such as A. hispanica by improving habitat connectivity and increasing recruitment. The results highlight the importance of weir removal for the conservation of threatened species in Mediterranean river systems. Full article

Introduction: AQUArestore is a three-year project focused on promoting adaptive ecological restoration strategies for river ecosystems in the vulnerable cross-border region of Portugal. The project responds to pressing environmental challenges across the territory, including severe habitat degradation, climate vulnerability, declining water security, and biodiversity loss, with particular concern for freshwater fish communities, making river restoration essential to preserve native species and freshwater ecosystem services. Objective: The project aims to develop a replicable framework for restoration of Mediterranean transboundary riverine habitats, supporting the objectives of the EU Nature Restoration Law (NRL, Regulation 2024/1991). The consortium AQUArestore will develop (1) robust restoration indicators, (2) implement living labs for restoration experimentation, and (3) establish capacity-building and training programs for technicians and citizens. Methodology: The project kick-off meeting was used to operationalize project tasks, detail the implementation calendar and milestones, and clarify responsibilities of each project member and partner institutions within the different work tasks. The meeting gathered consortium members from the coordinating institution CEF-ISA (researchers at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia) and partners WWF Portugal (an environmental NGO) and Mushmore Cooperative, each one contributing according to their respective expertise and institutional objectives. Results: The AQUArestore project kick-off meeting took place in January 2026 at ISA, Lisbon, and included a presentation of the NRL and a detailed discussion of project task development. In detail, the activities will begin with the compilation of information on previously restored sites (Task 1). This will support the development and validation of environmental and biodiversity indicators of restoration outcomes, including those linked to freshwater fish assemblages and riparian vegetation (Task 2). The project will then establish two living labs as platforms to test nature-based solutions in collaboration with stakeholders and local communities (Task 3). In parallel, AQUArestore will strengthen technical capacity through training for practitioners and public authorities (Task 4). Finally, dissemination will be supported through citizen science, communication activities, and stakeholder engagement, fostering a broader impact (Task 5). Together, these tasks provide an integrated, science-based, and participatory framework aiming to support adaptive river restoration under climate and environmental changes. Conclusions: By integrating ecological restoration, biodiversity and environmental monitoring, and stakeholder engagement, AQUArestore is expected to contribute to the recovery of Mediterranean freshwater ecosystems and improve habitat quality and connectivity for native fish communities, enhancing resilience to climate change and other anthropogenic pressures. Full article

Introduction: Despite more than two decades of implementation, the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) still faces major challenges in achieving good ecological status across European water bodies. Key limitations persist in connectivity restoration, transboundary harmonization, monitoring network design, and biological assessment of complex systems such as large rivers, reducing the Directive’s capacity to provide consistent ecological diagnoses and support effective river basin management. Objective: This work had four objectives: (I) incorporate ecological status into connectivity assessments; (II) evaluate harmonization in Iberian transboundary basins; (III) optimize the national fish monitoring network through co-creation; (IV) develop a fish-based multimetric index for Portuguese large rivers. Methodology: The work combined four approaches: (1) graph-based connectivity analysis integrating the probability of achieving good ecological status to evaluate functional connectivity across European river networks; (2) cross-border comparison of ecological classifications between Portugal and Spain in shared Iberian basins; (3) optimization of the Portuguese fish monitoring network through a co-creation approach involving the national authority; (4) development of a fish-based multimetric index designed for Portuguese large rivers. Results: Integrating ecological status into connectivity analyses reduced estimated connectivity and highlighted the combined effects of fragmentation and degradation. Cross-border comparisons showed that formal harmonization does not ensure consistent ecological classification. The optimized monitoring networks improved ecological representativeness without increasing sampling effort, while co-creation ensured operational feasibility. The new fish index for large rivers captures spatial variation in ecological quality and responds to pressure gradients, addressing a recognized methodological gap. Conclusions: Improving WFD implementation requires progress across multiple complementary components rather than isolated advances. More effective river management depends on integrating ecological processes, comparable assessment outputs, representative monitoring networks, and system-specific tools. These approaches provide transferable pathways for strengthening freshwater assessment and supporting more coherent river restoration and management across Europe. Full article