Northern Michigan University Biology Emeritus Professor Neil Cumberlidge is a coauthor of a global study published in Nature and covered by hundreds of news outlets worldwide that asserts one of every four freshwater animal species is at risk of extinction. Led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), it is the largest study of its kind and represents 20 years of research by experts in relevant animal groups.
Cumberlidge worked with scientists from six continents to explore extinction risks of the world's freshwater crabs—his specialty—crayfish and shrimp. The data from those studies formed part of the database used in the global freshwater fauna assessment in Nature. The results showed that crabs, crayfish and shrimp are at the highest risk of extinction of the groups studied, with 30% threatened, followed by 26% of freshwater fish and 16% of dragonflies and damselflies. Alarmingly, he added, freshwater species have already gone extinct since 1500, with another 187 likely extinct but awaiting confirmation.
“There are over 2,000 species of freshwater crabs in the tropical freshwaters around the world, and many of them are vulnerable to environmental threats,” Cumberlidge said. “Asia has the highest number of threatened freshwater crab species, followed by South America and Africa. In addition, China is perhaps the most significant in terms of needing conservation attention because it harbors the highest number of species of endemic and threatened freshwater crabs in the world.”
Other highly affected regions identified in the study include Lake Victoria in Africa, Lake Titicaca in South America, and Sri Lanka's Wet Zone.
“This work is a significant step in the conservation of freshwater animals who have tended to be overlooked in favor of more charismatic groups”, said Cumberlidge.
“A 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.
Cumberlidge is a pre-eminent African freshwater crab expert who has described 15 new genera and identified more than 70 new species. He is also Chair of IUCN's Freshwater Crustacean Specialist Group, which oversees the conservation of freshwater crustaceans around the world.