Title: Global study finds invasive species threaten world's rivers
WASHINGTON, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- A global study found that multiple environmental stressors such as agricultural runoff, pollution and invasive species threaten rivers that serve 80 percent of the world's human population lives, reported China's Xinhua news agency citing researchers as saying. Researchers from the City University of New York, University of Wisconsin and seven other institutions said these same stressors also endanger the biodiversity of 65 percent of the world's river habitats and put thousands of species of plants and animals are at risk of extinction. The findings, to be published in the journal Nature, is the first global-scale initiative to quantify the impact of these stressors on humans and riverine biodiversity.
The research team produced a series of maps documenting the impact using a computer-based framework that they had developed. Among the stressors analyzed were the effects of pollution, dams and reservoirs, water overuse, agricultural runoff, loss of wetlands and introduction of invasive species. The report showed that high incident threat levels to human water security were found in developed and developing nations around the world.
Among the affected areas include United States, virtually all of Europe and large portions of Central Asia, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent and eastern China. The researchers noted that causes of degradation of many of the developing world's most threatened rivers bear striking similarities to those of rivers in similar condition in wealthy countries. However, the researchers said that their findings are rather "conservative," since there is insufficient information to account for additional stressors like pharmaceutical compounds and mining wastes.