River & Wetland Biodiversity

🌱 What biodiversity is found in rivers and wetlands? While “covering less than 1% of the global surface area, freshwater ecosystems […] support a disproportionate number of flora and fauna”.[i] Overall, wetlands host 40% of all species.[ii] As rivers connect different wetlands to one another, they

🌱 How does increasing pollution impact rivers? There are a variety of different industrial and other waste streams that find their way into rivers. Amongst these, particularly plastic pollution and pollution through perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are growing areas of concern.[

🌱 Why are wetlands and riverine systems at risk? Wetlands and riverine systems play a key role in protecting biodiversity, and they are therefore “central to any hopes of tackling the climate emergency facing our planet”.[i] Despite this, on “a global scale, 70% of rivers occur outside protected ar

🌱 Why do barriers pose a threat to water habitats? Change in water habitats can be seen in artificial barriers in waters, such as water-storing and hydroelectric dams. They hinder species migration in the river and alter water quality, sediment and nutrient flows. These are, notably, “environmental