Book
The status and distribution of freshwater diversity in central Africa
Brooks, E.G.E., Allen, D.J. and Darwall, W.R.T.
Record Number:
5282
Year:
2011
Publisher:
IUCN
Place Published:
Cambridge, UK and Gland, Switzerland
Abstract:
Central Africa supports an incredible biodiversity, and its inland
waters are no exception. The Congo River has the highest species
diversity of any freshwater system in Africa, and is second
in species richness globally, after the Amazon. This diversity
provides benefits to humans both directly, such as through
livelihoods from fisheries, and indirectly through services such as
the purification of water for drinking. Currently, central Africa
is not heavily developed, but this is likely to change dramatically
in the next few decades, in particular should long-term political
stability come to the region. Development activities are, however,
not always compatible with conservation objectives which
are, in most cases, poorly represented within the development
planning process. One of the main reasons cited for inadequate
representation of biodiversity in the development processes is a lack
of readily available information on inland water taxa. In response
to this need for basic information on species, the IUCN Species
Programme conducted a regional assessment of the status and
distribution of 2,261 taxa of freshwater fishes, molluscs, odonates,
crabs and selected families of aquatic plants from throughout
central Africa. This study is based on the collation and analysis of
existing information, and the knowledge of regional experts. All
species are assessed through application of the IUCN Red List
Categories and Criteria to assess species risk of extinction, and
distribution ranges have been mapped for the majority of species,
thereby providing a tool for application to the conservation and
development planning processes. The full dataset, including all
species distribution maps (GIS shapefiles), is freely available in the
DVD accompanying the report and through the IUCN Red List
of Threatened SpeciesTM website (www.iucnredlist.org).
The richest area of species diversity is clearly defined by the channel
of the Congo River and its tributaries the Ubangi River and the
Kasai River. Another extremely diverse area is the highlands of
south-western Cameroon. Particularly high numbers of species
from all taxonomic groups are found in the Upper Congo Rapids,
and at Malebo Pool, also on the mainstream Congo River.
Approximately one half of all species are endemic to the region,
including an exceptional 74% of all fish species.
Fifteen per cent of the freshwater species of central Africa are
threatened with extinction according to the IUCN Red List
Categories and Criteria. If all Data Deficient species were also
found to be threatened, this could rise to as much as 36%. This
level of threat is predicted to increase dramatically in response to
growing levels of development, unless the ecological requirements
of freshwater species are given much greater consideration
in future planning. By far the biggest threat in the region is
habitat loss due to agriculture and deforestation, as well as
infrastructure development, and water pollution (in particular by
sedimentation). The highest concentrations of threatened species
are found in the Lower Congo Rapids, just downstream from
the two capitals of Brazzaville and Kinshasha, and in the highly
vulnerable Western Equatorial Crater Lakes.
A network of river and lake basins are identified as potential Key
Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) most important for the protection
of threatened and restricted range species. Future efforts in
managing inland waters must take account of the upstream and
downstream connectivity in freshwater ecosystems. For example, it
is recommended that conservation efforts focus on the protection
of upper catchment areas, provision of environmental flows,
and the inclusion of rivers and lakes as specified conservation
targets within protected areas rather than as boundary markers
for protected areas. Integrated Water Resource Management is
recommended along with the initiation of additional river/lake
basin authorities, and increased capacity to manage protected areas.
The results of this assessment are to be merged with similar studies
that have been conducted for all other regions of Africa, in order
to provide a baseline of the status and distribution of freshwater
biodiversity throughout all of continental mainland Africa.
This information source, which will be made freely and widely
available, will provide essential information currently lacking
in many places, to help conservation and development planning
proceed in a manner that takes full account of the requirements
of freshwater species.
Finally, it is most important that the findings and the data
compiled here, are made available to the relevant decision makers
and stakeholders in a format that can be easily understood and
readily integrated within the decision making process.
The key messages from this assessment are:
■ The inland waters of central Africa support an exceptionally
high diversity of aquatic species, with high levels of endemism.
Many of these species provide direct (e.g. fisheries) or indirect
(e.g. water purification) benefits to people. The conservation
of these species is most important to the livelihoods and
economies of the regions’ people.
■ More than 15% of species across the region are currently
threatened and future levels of threat are expected to rise
significantly due to increasing development throughout the
region, and an associated higher demand for natural resources.
■ Data on the distribution, conservation status, and ecology of
1,207 species of fish, 166 molluscs, 458 odonates, 38 crabs and
392 selected aquatic plants are now freely available through
this project and the IUCN Red List website (www.iucnredlist.
org/initiatives/freshwater/centralafrica).
■ The data made available through this assessment must be
integrated within the decision-making processes in planning
for the conservation and development of inland water
resources. Lack of available information should no longer be given as a reason for inadequate consideration for development
impacts to freshwater species.
■ Species information remains very limited for many species
within the region, with 21% of known species classified as
Data Deficient. Regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo
in particular are identified as a priority for future surveys. All
taxonomic groups lack vital data on species distributions and
threats, but spatial information on aquatic plants in particular
needs to be greatly improved throughout the region.
Times Cited:
2
Relevent Species:
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