A quarter of world's freshwater life at risk of extinction, reveals study

A QUARTER of the world's freshwater fauna, including fish, dragonflies, crabs, and shrimps, face a high risk of extinction, according to a study co-authored by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and published in the science journal Nature on Wednesday.

- RONNIE KURIAKOSE @Kochi

The study, the result of over 20 years of work by more than 1,000 experts from around the world, reached its conclusions after analysing 23,496 freshwater species on the IUCN Red List. It is the largest global assessment of its kind to date.

"As the IUCN Red List celebrates its 60th anniversary, it is a stronger barometer of life than ever. Lack of data on freshwater biodiversity can no longer be used as an excuse for inaction," said Catherine Sayer, IUCN's Freshwater Biodiversity Lead and the paper's lead author.