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Aquatic systems are interlinked through ecological and hydrological processes, so it is essential that conservationists, scientists, policymakers and managers adopt an integrated ‘Aquascape’ approach to the conservation of biodiversity in fresh, transitional and saline waters. This need for an Aquascape approach has been promoted over recent years, including at at least four International meetings in 2023/2024 by members of the IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee and Marine Conservation Committee (including at the World Species Congress 2024).

Conservation assessment and actions have often been separated into freshwater and marine, or into distinct habitats. This siloed approach has led to species of transitional habitats (seagrass beds, mangrove forests, salt marshes, tidal flats, estuaries), and those that migrate between freshwater and marine systems, to be overlooked in assessments and underserved in effective conservation action. Limited examples exist that integrate efforts across systems. For example, the Stockholm International Water Institute’s Source-to-Sea programme brings together government, international organizations, academia, the private sector and civil society to accelerate the adoption of source-to-sea management. The Great Barrier Reef (GBR) catchment provides an example of Aquascape conservation, where initiatives such as a joint government committee on water quality and state management plans have been developed, given the urgent need to integrate management of freshwater, estuarine and marine systems (e.g. Pearson et al. 2021).

IPBES (2024) states that by “Transforming current siloed modes of governance through more integrative, inclusive, equitable, accountable, coordinated and adaptive approaches enable successful implementation of response options to manage the nexus elements in an integrated manner and their associated direct and indirect drivers with benefits for people and nature now and into the future”. Unless conservation adopts an Aquascape approach, the risk of undermining existing conservation interventions is high.

References:

IPBES (2024). Summary for policymakers of the thematic assessment of the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health (nexus assessment) of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. IPBES secretariat, Bonn, Germany.

Pearson, R.G., Connolly, N.M., Davis, A.M., Brodie, J.E. (2021) Fresh waters and estuaries of the Great Barrier Reef catchment: Effects and management of anthropogenic disturbance on biodiversity, ecology and connectivity. Marine Pollution Bulletin 166: 112194