Title of Chapter/Section
Freshwater decapod conservation: recent progress and future challenges
Title of Book
Advances in freshwater decapod systematics and biology
Editor(s) of Book
Yeo, D., Cumberlidge, N. & Klaus, S.
Department
Biology
Document Type
Book Section/Chapter
Place of Publication
The Netherlands
Publisher
Koninklijke Brill
Year of Publication
2014
Series (if applicable)
Crustaceana Monogaphs
Series Volume (if applicable)
19
Page Range
53-69
Description
Freshwater ecosystems around the world support a highly diverse fauna that includes significant numbers of decapod crustaceans (freshwater crabs, crayfish, and shrimps) many of which are of economic importance. However, freshwater habitats and animals that depend on them are now under increasing threat. Recent International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List assessments of the world’s freshwater crabs and crayfish revealed significant numbers of species threatened with extinction. The long-term survival of many freshwater species is becoming more precarious as wetland habitats are increasingly degraded and threats to freshwater biodiversity intensify. The majority of imperiled decapods are restricted-range endemics living in habitats threatened by unprecedented human demands for water and food resulting in alteration of drainage patterns, pollution, and over-harvesting. Current strategies for slowing the decline of the world’s threatened freshwater decapod species include the sustainable management of their freshwater habitats and the collection of more baseline data on their diversity, population and distribution patterns, and conservation status.
Recommended Citation
Cumberlidge N. 2014. Freshwater decapod conservation: recent progress and future challenges. In: Crustaceana Monographs: Advances in freshwater decapod systematics and biology, Yeo, D., Cumberlidge, N. & Klaus, S. (eds.), Koninklijke Brill, The Netherlands. Pp. 53-69.