European Red List of Freshwater Fishes

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2011. — 61 p. Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised ithout prior written permissionfrom the copyright holder provided the source is fully cknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercialpurposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder Table of contents Foreword Acknowledgements Executive summary Background The European context European freshwater fishes: diversity and endemism Threat status of species Objectives of the assessment Assessment methodology Global versus regional assessment Geographic scope Taxonomic scope Preliminary assessments and evaluation Results and discussion Threat status of freshwater fishes Status by taxonomic groups Spatial distribution of species Species richness Distribution of threatened species Endemic species richness Data Deficient species Major threats to freshwater fishes in Europe Water abstraction Alien species Hydropower and water control dams Pollution Population trends Conservation measures Protection of habitats and species in Europe Protection of habitats and species in the EU Conservation management of freshwater fishes in the EU Extinction risk versus conservation status Red List versus priority for conservation action Conclusion and recommendations Overview and recommendations for conservation measures Application of project outputs Future work References Appendix Extinct and threatened freshwater fishes at the European and EU 27 level Appendix Bern Convention and Habitats Directive fish species Appendix Red List status of European freshwater fishes Appendix Methodology for spatial analyses Appendix Example species summary and distribution map The European Red List is a review of the conservation status of c.6,000 European species (mammals, reptiles, amphibians, freshwater fishes, butterflies, dragonflies, and selected groups of beetles, molluscs, and vascular plants) according to IUCN regional Red Listing guidelines. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the regional level - in order that appropriate conservation action can be taken to improve their status. This publication summarises results for Europe's native species of freshwater fishes and lampreys. At least 37% of these species are threatened. Major threats include the over-abstraction of water, which in many cases is further exacerbated by increasing droughts due to climate change, pollution, and the introduction of alien species. Other important threats include overfishing, especially in the large rivers of Eastern Europe and the massive increase in dam constructions which lead to the interruption of stream connectivity and the total alteration of the stream habitats. The European Red List was compiled by IUCN's Global Species Programme and Regional Office for Europe and is the product of a service contract with the European Commission. It is available online at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/species/redlist and http://www.iucnredlist.org/europe