The first global assessment of freshwater species across multiple taxonomic groups has revealed that one quarter of the 23,496 freshwater species surveyed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ are threatened by extinction, in a paper published by Nature. But the scale of the freshwater biodiversity crisis told in these numbers could overwhelm [...]
The first global assessment of freshwater animals across multiple taxonomic groups has revealed that one quarter of the 23,496 freshwater species surveyed by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ are threatened by extinction. The research included decapod crustaceans (shrimp, crabs, and crayfish), odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), and fish, and revealed that these are [...]
Three stories told by Indigenous people standing up for Ecuador’s rivers about their fight to protect the nature they depend on.
What do rivers mean to you? For Hugo Costa, deep in the Amazon, the seasons of the Juruá River can define the food you eat, the journeys you travel, and the people you meet. For Yolarnie Amepou, looking over a vast river delta in Papua New Guinea, ten different cultures have been shaped by [...]
In the United Nations biodiversity agreement, freshwater ecosystems were finally included as ‘inland waters’ in the commitment to safeguard and restore at least 30 per cent of the world’s lands, inland waters, coastal areas and oceans by 2030. So, what is the freshwater biodiversity crisis, and why should we be concerned for people and [...]
With the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s new agreement dominating conservation headlines, it can be easy to lose sight of the people working every day to protect our planet’s biodiversity on the ground. However, throughout 2022, our partners restored ecosystems, protected endangered species, and collaborated with Indigenous Peoples and local communities to build a [...]
What role do rivers play in your life? For billions of people around the world, they are – literally – their source of life and survival. Although rivers cover less than one percent of the Earth’s surface, they are the most biodiverse and productive ecosystems in the world. In this post, Félix Feider looks at [...]
2021 has presented many challenges for conservation, with COVID-19 continuing to prevent safe engagement with communities, causing delays or cancellations to in-person events, and affecting marginalised communities the hardest. However, our team at Synchronicity Earth continue to be inspired by the resilience and resourcefulness of our partners, who continue to do extraordinary work to [...]
As our partner Shoal announce an exciting quest to find the world’s ten ‘most wanted’ lost species of freshwater fish, Nina Seale explores the importance of finding lost species and advancing conservation knowledge to address the biodiversity crisis. Humongous ‘fossil fish’ resurfaced after at least a century in West Indian [...]
Rivers are the planet’s arteries of life and are intrinsically linked to human well-being, history, culture, spirituality and politics. Yet, our legal system has largely proven to be ill-equipped to protect the world’s rivers and their inhabitants. A growing global movement sets out to change this by legally recognising and implementing the inherent rights [...]