Conservation threats and future prospects for the freshwater fishes of Ecuador: A hotspot of Neotropical fish diversity.

ABSTRACT: Freshwater fish communities in Ecuador exhibit some of the highest levels of diversity and endemism in the Neotropics. Unfortunately, aquatic ecosystems in the country are under serious threat and conditions are deteriorating. In 2018-19, the government of Ecuador sponsored a series of workshops to examine the conservation status of Ecuador's freshwater fishes. Concerns were identified for 35 species, most of which are native to the Amazon region, and overfishing of Amazonian pimelodid catfishes emerged as a major issue. However, much of the information needed to make decisions across fish groups and regions was not available, hindering the process and highlighting the need for a review of the conservation threats to Ecuador's freshwater fishes. Here, we review how the physical alteration

SUBMITTER: Aguirre WE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8518725 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature