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THE DIVERSITY of LIFE in AFRICAN FRESHWATERS: UNDERWATER, UNDER THREAT an Analysis of the Status and Distribution of Freshwater Species Throughout Mainland Africa

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THE DIVERSITY of LIFE in AFRICAN FRESHWATERS: UNDERWATER, UNDER THREAT an Analysis of the Status and Distribution of Freshwater Species Throughout Mainland Africa THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE IN AFRICAN FRESHWATERS: UNDERWATER, UNDER THREAT An analysis of the status and distribution of freshwater species throughout mainland Africa Edited by: William Darwall, Kevin Smith, David Allen, Robert Holland, Ian Harrison and Emma Brooks The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ – Regional Assessment THE DIVERSITY OF LIFE IN AFRICAN FRESHWATERS: UNDERWATER, UNDER THREAT An analysis of the status and distribution of freshwater species throughout mainland Africa Edited by: William Darwall, Kevin Smith, David Allen, Robert Holland, Ian Harrison and Emma Brooks Project Partners: Financial support provided by: and: In kind funding was provided by: The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or other participating organizations, concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. This project has been carried out with financial support from the European Union under grant Contract: EuropeAid/ENV/2004-81917. The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Union. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or other participating organizations. Published by: IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK Copyright: © 2011 International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Red List logo: © 2008 Citation: Darwall, W.R.T., Smith, K.G., Allen, D.J., Holland, R.A, Harrison, I.J., and Brooks, E.G.E. (eds.). 2011. The Diversity of Life in African Freshwaters: Under Water, Under Threat. An analysis of the status and distribution of freshwater species throughout mainland Africa. Cambridge, United Kingdom and Gland, Switzerland: IUCN. xiii+347pp+4pp cover. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1345-8 Cover design: Cambridge Publishers Cover photos: Front: Tanganyika cichlid (Xenotilapia melanogenys) a Data Deficient species endemic to Lake Tanganyika © Angel M Fitor/Photolibrary Ltd. Back: A girl collects water supplied by Bale Mountains National Park in south-central Ethiopia © Robin Moore All photographs used in this publication remain the property of the original copyright holder (see individual captions for details). Photographs should not be reproduced or used in other contexts without written permission from the copyright holder. Layout by: Cambridge Publishers Produced by: Cambridge Publishers Available from: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), Publications Services, 28 Rue Mauverney, 1196 Gland, Switzerland, Tel: + 41 22 999 0000, Fax: + 41 22 999 0020, Email: [email protected], www.iucn.org/publications A catalogue of IUCN publications is also available. INTRODUCTION Contents Introduction | Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ix CONTENTS Foreword ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................xi Executive Summary .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................xii Chapter 1 - Background 2 1.1 Global status of freshwater biodiversity ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 4 1.1.1 Species diversity .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6 1.1.2 Major threats to freshwater biodiversity........................................................................................................................................................................ 8 1.2 Situation analysis for Africa.............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 13 1.2.1 General overview ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 1.2.2 Threats to African freshwater ecosystems .............................................................................................................................................................. 16 1.2.2.1 Habitat transformation ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 18 1.2.2.2 Pollution ......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 1.2.2.3 Impact of fi sheries .................................................................................................................................................................................................. 23 1.2.2.4 Invasive alien species ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 1.2.2.5 Climate change ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 25 1.2.3 The African Green Revolution and wetlands ............................................................................................................................................................ 25 1.3 Functions and values of freshwater ecosystems in Africa .......................................................................................................................................... 26 1.3.1 Ecosystem functions .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 26 1.3.2 Ecosystem values .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 28 Chapter 2 - Assessment methodology 32 2.1 Selection of priority taxa .................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34 2.1.1 Fishes ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34 2.1.2 Molluscs .......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34 2.1.3 Odonates ....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 34 2.1.4 Crabs ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 35 2.1.5 Aquatic plants ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 35 2.2 Regional approach ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 36 2.3 Data collation and quality control ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 37 2.4 Species mapping ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
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