Expanding Scientific Research Programs to Address Conservation Challenges in Freshwater Ecosystems

Summary

Here I highlight the scope of conservation needs and challenges in freshwater ecosystems and some of the different avenues by which we can expand our roles as scientists to actively address the complex environmental problems that face us. Losses in global aquatic biodiversity and associated ecosystem integrity are occurring at a rate unprecedented in geological history at all levels from ecosystems to species to genes. Shortages of freshwater and the increasing pollution of water bodies are affecting the life cycles of many species, including humans. Despite the severe environmental degradation of freshwater aquatic systems described here for North America, it is clear that without existing environmental legislation, things would be much worse. Countries “in transition” in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are facing regional degradation of water resources on a scale greater than what much of the Western world has experienced. However, many surface water quality problems resemble those that were familiar to the United States over two decades ago, before the Clean Water Act of 1972 was implemented, underlining the importance of scientific involvement in improving and protecting existing laws. As environmental problems become more pervasive, increasing opportunities exist for scientists to make connections between research activities and conservation. Two aquatic case studies from my own research are provided that illustrate how (1) basic research programs can be integrated with environmental outreach activities, (2) basic research can be redirected to make management applications for the protection of the biotic integrity of the systems that we study, and (3) addressing conservation objectives can lead to improvements in the quality of our science.