Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Human Population pp 103–124Cite as

Indicators for Assessing Threats to Freshwater Biodiversity from Humans and Human-Shaped Landscapes

Part of the Ecological Studies book series (ECOLSTUD,volume 214)

Abstract

Whereas high human population density generally indicates a stress to nearby aquatic communities, the opposite is not always true. Because freshwaters integrate disturbances from their upstream catchments and may also be affected by downstream activities via upstream–downstream connections, the location of humans and their impacts can be spatially disconnected. The latter part of this chapter focuses on threat assessments over large areas in which limited data are available. Whereas most aquatic conservation assessments have been undertaken in the data-rich temperate world, particularly in study areas covering mid- to small-size catchments, we illustrate approaches that are taken at the global, continental (Africa), and large river basin (Niger) levels, employing human population data. We conclude by discussing research priorities and the need to address key gaps in data that hinder assessment and ultimately impede managers’ abilities to mitigate threats.

Keywords

  • Shuttle Radar Topography Mission
  • Niger Delta
  • Ecological Integrity
  • Human Population Density
  • Expert Assessment

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abell RA, Olson DM, Dinerstein E, Hurley PT, Diggs JT, Eichbaum W, Walters S, Wettengel W, Allnutt T, Loucks CJ, Hedao P (2000) Freshwater ecoregions of North America: a conservation assessment. Island Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Abell R, Thieme M, Dinerstein E, Olson D (2002) A sourcebook for conducting biological assessments and developing biodiversity visions for ecoregion conservation. Volume II: Freshwater ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund-US, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Abell R, Thieme M, Revenga C, Bryer M, Kottelat M, Bogutskaya N, Coad B, Mandrak N, Contreras-Balderas S, Bussing W, Stiassny MLJ, Skelton P, Allen GR, Unmack P, Naseka A, Ng R, Sindorf N, Robertson J, Armijo E, Higgins J, Heibel TJ, Wikramanayake E, Olson D, Lopez HL, Reis RE, Lundberg JG, Sabaj Perez MH, Petry P (2008) Freshwater ecoregions of the world: a new map of biogeographic units for freshwater biodiversity conservation. Bioscience 58:403–414

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Alcamo J, Döll P, Henrichs T, Kaspar F, Lehner B, Rösch T, Siebert S (2003) Development and testing of the water GAP 2 global model of water use and availability. Hydrol Sci J 48(3):317–337

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Allan JD, Flecker AS (1993) Biodiversity conservation in running waters: identifying the major factors that threaten destruction of riverine species and ecosystems. Bioscience 43:32–43

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Allan JD, Abell R, Hogan Z, Revenga C, Taylor BW, Welcomme RL, Winemiller K (2005) Overfishing of inland waters. Bioscience 55(12):1041–1051

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Berkes F, Colding J, Folke C (2000) Rediscovery of traditional ecological knowledge as adaptive management. Ecol Appl 10:1251–1262

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Boon PJ (2000) The development of integrated methods for assessing river conservation value. Hydrobiologia 422(423):413–428

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Boulton AJ (1999) An overview of river health assessment: philosophies practice problems and prognosis. Freshw Biol 41:469–479

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Caraco NF, Cole JJ, Likens GE, Lovett GM, Weathers KC (2003) Variation in NO3 export from flowing waters of vastly different sizes: does one model fit all? Ecosystems 6:344–352

    CrossRef  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Center for International Earth Science Information Network, Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (2005) Gridded population of the world, version 3 (GPWv3): Population Grids. Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) Columbia University, Palisades NY. Available at http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/gpw

  • Chao NL, Prang G (1997) Project Piaba: towards a sustainable ornamental fishery in the Amazon. Aquarium Sci Conserv 1:105–111

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Collen B, Ram M, Dewhurst N, Clausnitzer V, Kalkman VJ, Cumberlidge N, Baillie JEM (2008) Broadening the coverage of biodiversity assessments. In: Vié J-C, Hilton-Taylor C, Stuart SN (eds) Wildlife in a changing world: an analysis of the 2008 IUCN red list of threatened species. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland, pp 67–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowx IG (2002) Analysis of threats to freshwater fish conservation: past and present challenges. In: Collares-Pereira MJ, Cowx IG, Coelho M (eds) Conservation of freshwater fishes: options for the future. Fishing News Books, Oxford, pp 201–220

    Google Scholar 

  • Darwall W, Smith K, Lowe T, Vié J-C (2005) The status and distribution of freshwater biodiversity in Eastern Africa, vol 31, Species survival commission occasional paper. World Conservation Union, Gland

    Google Scholar 

  • De Leo GA, Levin S (1997) The multifaceted aspects of ecosystem integrity. Conserv Ecol 1: 3. Available at http://www.consecol.org/vol1/iss1/art3

  • Döll P, Kaspar F, Lehner B (2003) A global hydrological model for deriving water availability indicators: model tuning and validation. J Hydrol 270:105–134

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Dudgeon D, Arthington AH, Gessner MO, Kawabata ZI, Knowler DJ, Leveque C, Naiman RJ, Prieur-Richard AH, Soto D, Stiassny MLJ, Sullivan CA (2006) Freshwater biodiversity: importance threats status and conservation challenges. Biol Rev 81:163–182

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dynesius M, Nilsson C (1994) Fragmentation and flow regulation of river systems in the northern third of the world. Science 266:753–762

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Environmental Systems Research Institute (1993) Digital Chart of the World. Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, Calif. Available at http://ortelius.maproom.psu.edu/dcw/

  • Environmental Systems Research Institute (1992) ArcWorld 1:3M. Environmental Systems Research Institute, Redlands, Calif

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (1998) Database on the introduction of aquatic species (DIAS). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. Available at http://www.fao.org/fi/statist/fisoft/dias/index.htm

  • FAO (1999) Review of the state of world fishery resources: Inland fisheries, vol 942, FAO fisheries circular. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome

    Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2001) World river sediment yields database. FAO, Rome. Available at http://www.fao.org/landandwater/aglw/sediment/default.asp

  • FAO (2003) Africover. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Rome. Available at http://www.africover.org/

  • Farr TG, Kobrick M (2000) Shuttle radar topography mission produces a wealth of data. Eos Trans Am Geophys Union 81:583–585

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Gergel SE, Turner MG, Miller JM, Melack JM, Stanley EH (2002a) Landscape indicators of human impacts to riverine systems. Aquat Sci 64:118–128

    CrossRef  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gergel SE, Dixon MD, Turner MG (2002b) Consequences of human-altered floods: levees floods and floodplain forests along the Wisconsin River. Ecol Appl 12:1755–1770

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Gleick PH (2000) The changing water paradigm: a look at twenty-first century water resources development. Water Int 25:127–138

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Global International Water Assessment (2002) Water issues: causal chain analysis. Global International Water Assessment, Kalmar, Sweden. Available at http://www.giwa.net/caus_isscausual_chain_analyses.phtml

  • Global Water System Project (2005) The Global Water System Project: science framework and implementation activities. Global Water System Project, Bonn. Available at http://www.gwsp.org

  • Gregory SV, Swanson FJ, McKee WA, Cummins KW (1991) An ecosystem perspective of riparian zones. Bioscience 41:540–551

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Groves CR (2003) Drafting a conservation blueprint: a practitioner’s guide to planning for biodiversity. Island Press, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Groves CR, Jensen DB, Valutis LL, Redford KH, Shaffer ML, Scott JM, Baumgartner JV, Higgins JV, Beck MW, Anderson MG (2002) Planning for biodiversity conservation: putting conservation science into practice. Bioscience 52:499–512

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Harding JS, Benfield EF, Bolstad PV, Helfman GS, Jones EBD (1998) Stream biodiversity: the ghost of land use past. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 95:14843–14847

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison IJ, Stiassny MLJ (1999) The quiet crisis: a preliminary listing of the freshwater fishes of the world that are extinct or ‘missing in action’. In: MacPhee RDE (ed) Extinctions in near time: causes contexts and consequences. Kluwer Academic, New York, pp 271–332

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Hearn P, Hare T, Schruben P, Sherrill D, Lamar C, Tsushima P (2000) Global GIS Database. US Geological Survey, Flagstaff. Available at http://webgis.wr.usgs.gov/globalgis/

  • Hodges JCF, Friedl MA, Strahler AH (2001) The MODIS global land cover product: new data sets for global land surface parameterization. Proc Global Change Open Sci Conf Amsterdam. Available at http://geography.bu.edu/landcover/userguidelc/

  • Hughes RM, Hunsaker CT (2002) Effects of landscape change on aquatic biodiversity and biointegrity. In: Gutzwiller KJ (ed) Applying landscape ecology in biological conservation. Springer, Berlin, pp 309–329

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • International Commission on Large Dams (2007) World register of Dams. International Commission on Large Dams, Paris. Available at www.icold-cigb.net

  • IUCN (2001) Keeping on eye on threatened species: the IUCN Red List. World Conserv 3.

    Google Scholar 

  • IUCN (2008) IUCN Red list of threatened species. World Conservation Union, Gland. Available at www.iucnredlist.org

  • Joint Research Centre, European Commission (2003) Global Land Cover (2000) database. Joint Research Centre European Commission, Ispra, Italy. Available at http://gem.jrc.ec.europa.eu/products/glc(2000)/glc(2000).php

  • Jones JA, Swanson FJ, Wemple BC, Snyder KU (2000) Effects of roads on hydrology geomorphology and disturbance patches in stream networks. Conserv Biol 14:76–85

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Karr JR, Dudley DR (1981) Ecological perspective on water quality goals. Environ Manage 5:55–68

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Lehner B, Döll P (2004) Development and validation of a global database of lakes reservoirs and wetlands. J Hydrol 296:1–22

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Lehner B, Verdin K, Jarvis A (2008) New global hydrography derived from spaceborne elevation data. Eos Transact 89(10):93–94. Available at http://hydrosheds.cr.usgs.gov/

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehner B, Reidy Liermann C, Revenga C, Fekete B, Vörösmarty C, Crouzet P, Döll P, Endejan M, Frenken K, Magome J, Nilsson C, Robertson JC, Rödel R, Sindorf N, Wisser D (in review): High resolution mapping of the world’s reservoirs and dams for sustainable river flow management. Submitted to Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, http://www.gwsp.org/current_activities.html

  • Ligon FK, Dietrich WE, Trush WJ (1995) Downstream ecological effects of dams. Bioscience 45:183–192

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Malmqvist B, Rundle S (2002) Threats to the running water ecosystems of the world. Environ Conserv 29:134–153

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • McAllister DE, Parker BJ, McKee PM (1985) Rare, endangered, and extinct fishes in Canada, vol 54, Syllogeus. National Museums of Natural Sciences National Museums of Canada, Ottawa

    Google Scholar 

  • McAllister DE, Hamilton AL, Harvey B (1997) Global freshwater biodiversity: striving for the integrity of freshwater ecosystems. Sea Wind 11:1–140

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller RR, Williams JD, Williams JE (1989) Extinctions of North American fishes during the past century. Fisheries 14:22–38

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Niger Basin Authority (ABN) (2007) Niger river basin atlas. ABN, Niamey, Niger

    Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson C, Svedmark M, Hansson P, Xiong S, Berggren K (2000) River fragmentation and flow regulation analysis. unpublished data. Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson C, Reidy CA, Dynesius M, Revenga C (2005) Fragmentation and flow regulation of the world’s large river systems. Science 308:405–408

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Norris RH, Thoms MC (1999) What is river health? Freshw Biol 41:197–209

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Noss RF (1992) The Wildlands Project: land conservation strategy. Wild Earth (Suppl, The Wildlands Project):10–25

    Google Scholar 

  • O’Keeffe JH, Danilewitz DB, Bradshaw JA (1987) An ‘expert system’ approach to the assessment of the conservation status of rivers. Biol Conserv 40:69–84

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • O’Neill RV, Hunsaker CT, Jones KB, Riitters KH, Wickham JD, Schwartz PM, Goodman IA, Jackson BL, Baillargeon WS (1997) Monitoring environmental quality at the landscape scale: using landscape indicators to assess biotic diversity watershed integrity and landscape stability. Bioscience 47:513–519

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory (2009) LandScan global population database. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge. Available at http://www.ornl.gov/landscan/

  • Peterson BJ, Wollheim WM, Mulholland PJ, Webster JR, Meyer JL, Tank JL, Martí E, Bowden WB, Valett HM, Hershey AE, McDowell WH, Dodds WK, Hamilton SK, Gregory S, Morrall DD (2001) Control of nitrogen export from watersheds by headwater streams. Science 292:86–90

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Poff NL, Hart DD (2002) How dams vary and why it matters for the emerging science of dam removal. Bioscience 52:659–668

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Poff NL, Brinson MM, Day JW (2002) Aquatic ecosystems and global climate change: potential impacts on inland freshwater and coastal wetland ecosystems in the United States. Pew Center on Global Climate Change, Arlington

    Google Scholar 

  • Postel S (2002) Rivers of life: the challenge of restoring health to freshwater ecosystems. Water Sci Technol 45:3–8

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reaka-Kudla M (1997) The global biodiversity of coral reefs: a comparison with rain forests. In: Reaka-Kudla ML, Wilson DE, Wilson EO (eds) Biodiversity II: understanding and protecting our biological resources. Joseph Henry, Washington, DC, pp 83–103

    Google Scholar 

  • Revenga C, Brunner J, Henninger N, Kassem K, Payne R (2000) Pilot analysis of global ecosystems: freshwater systems. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Ricciardi A, Rasmussen JB (1999) Extinction rates of North American freshwater fauna. Conserv Biol 13:1220–1222

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg DM, McCully P, Pringle CM (2000) Global-scale environmental effects of hydrological alterations. Bioscience 50(9):746–751

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Saunders DL, Meeuwig JJ, Vincent ACJ (2002) Freshwater protected areas: strategies for conservation. Conserv Biol 16:30–41

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Sedell J, Sharpe M, Apple D, Copenhagen M, Furniss M (2000) Water and the forest service. FS-660. USDA Forest Service, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Sidle RC, Sasaki S, Otsuki M, Noguchi S, Rahim Nik A (2004) Sediment pathways in a tropical forest: effects of logging roads and skid trails. Hydrol Process 18:703–720

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Siebert S, Döll P, Hoogeveen J, Faures J-M, Frenken K, Feick S (2005) Development and validation of the global map of irrigation areas. Hydrol Earth Syst Sci 9:535–547

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Smakhtin V, Revenga C, Döll P (2004) A pilot global assessment of environmental water requirements and scarcity. Water Int 29(3):307–317

    CrossRef  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith KG, Darwall WRT (2006) The status and distribution of freshwater fish endemic to the Mediterranean Basin. IUCN, Gland

    Google Scholar 

  • Stein BA, Kutner LS, Adams JS (eds) (2000) Precious heritage: the status of biodiversity in the United States. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Stuart SN, Chanson JS, Cox NA, Young BE, Rodrigues ASL, Fischman DL, Waller RW (2004) Status and trends of amphibian declines and extinctions worldwide. Science 306:1783–1786

    CrossRef  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thieme ML, Abell RA, Stiassny MLJ, Skelton PH, Lehner B, Teugels GG, Dinerstein E, Kamdem-Toham A, Olson DM (2005) Freshwater ecoregions of Africa: a conservation assessment. World Wildlife Fund-US, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Tockner K, Stanford JA (2002) Riverine flood plains: present state and future trends. Environ Conserv 29:308–330

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Turner RE, Rabalais NN, Justic D, Dortch Q (2003) Global patterns of dissolved N, P and Si in large rivers. Biogeochemistry 64:297–317

    CrossRef  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Turtle Conservation Fund (2002) Global action plan for conservation of tortoises and freshwater turtles, strategy and funding prospectus, 2002–2007. Conservation International and Chelonian Research Foundation, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations (1997) Comprehensive assessment of the freshwater resources of the world. World Meteorological Organization and Stockholm Environment Institute, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Environment Programme/Global Resource Information Database, Center for International Earth Science Information Network, World Resources Institute, National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (2004) African population database, version 4. United Nations Environment Programme/Global Resource Information Database, Sioux Falls. Available at http://na.unep.net/globalpop/africa/

  • US Army Corps of Engineers (2007) National inventory of dams. United States Army Corps of Engineers, Alexandria. Available at https://nid.usace.army.mil

  • US Geological Survey, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Joint Research Centre of the European Commission (1997) Global land cover characterization (GLCC), version 1.2. USGS, Washington, DC. Available at http://edcdaac.usgs.gov/glcc/glcc.html

  • US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration/National Geophysical Data Center (1998) Stable lights and radiance calibrated lights of the world CD-ROM. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Geophysical Data Center, Boulder. Available at http://spidr.ngdc.noaa.gov/

  • Vörösmarty CJ, Sharma KP, Fekete BM, Copeland AH, Holden J, Marble J, Lough JA (1997) The storage and aging of continental runoff in large reservoir systems of the world. Ambio 26:210–219

    Google Scholar 

  • Vörösmarty CJ, McIntyre PB, Gessner MO, Dudgeon D, Prusevich A, Green P, Glidden S, Bunn SE, Sullivan CA, Reidy Lierman C, Davies PM (2010) Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity. Nature 467:555–561

    CrossRef  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang L, Lyons J, Kanehl P, Gatti R (1997) Influences of watershed land use on habitat quality and biotic integrity in Wisconsin streams. Fisheries 22:6–12

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Welcomme RL (2001) Inland fisheries: ecology and management. Blackwell Science, Rome

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • Welcomme R (2005) Impacts of fishing on inland fish populations in Africa. In: Thieme ML, Abell RA, Stiassny MLJ, Skelton PH, Lehner B, Teugels GG, Dinerstein E, Kamdem-Toham A, Olson DM (eds) Freshwater ecoregions of Africa: a conservation assessment. World Wildlife Fund-US, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Wetlands International (2002) Special issue on the Niger Basin Initiative. Fadama Newsletter of the Wetlands International Africa Office, 5. Dakar-Yoff, Senegal

    Google Scholar 

  • Wetlands International (2007) Ramsar Sites Database. Wetlands International, Wageningen. Available at http://ramsar.wetlands.org/Default.aspx

  • Williams JD, Warren ML, Cummings KS, Harris JL, Neves RJ (1993) Conservation status of freshwater mussels of the United States and Canada. Fisheries 18:6–22

    CrossRef  Google Scholar 

  • World Commission on Dams (2000) Dams and development. Earthscan, London

    Google Scholar 

  • World Resources Institute, WCMC World Conservation Monitoring Centre, PADCO, Inc (1995) Africa data sampler. CD-ROM. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Conservation Science Program, World Wildlife Fund, 1250 24th St. NW, Washington, DC, 20037, USA

    Robin Abell & Michele Thieme

  2. Department of Geography, McGill University, 805 Sherbrooke Street, West Montreal, QC, Canada, H3A 2K6

    Bernhard Lehner

Authors
  1. Robin Abell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michele Thieme
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Bernhard Lehner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robin Abell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Demographer-in-residence, The Stimson Center, 19th St. NW. 1111, Washington, 20036, District of Columbia, USA

    Richard P. Cincotta

  2. , Department of Landscape Architecture, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, 16802-1912, Pennsylvania, USA

    Larry J. Gorenflo

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

Copyright information

© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Abell, R., Thieme, M., Lehner, B. (2011). Indicators for Assessing Threats to Freshwater Biodiversity from Humans and Human-Shaped Landscapes. In: Cincotta, R., Gorenflo, L. (eds) Human Population. Ecological Studies, vol 214. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-16707-2_7

Download citation

search

Navigation