A new WWF report is sounding the alarm on Africa’s freshwater fish: one in four fish species it assessed is at risk of extinction. These declines threaten not only biodiversity, but also the food security, livelihoods and cultural identity of millions of people who depend on inland fisheries across the continent. Released in the lead-up to the Ramsar conference on wetlands to be held in Zimbabwe, the report notes there are at least 3,281 freshwater fish species in Africa’s rivers, lakes and wetlands. It also highlights the extraordinary diversity of Africa’s freshwater fish — from air-breathing lungfish to blind, cave-dwelling cichlids — that have remained largely invisible in conservation and development policies despite being essential to ecosystems and economies alike. “Africa is a global hotspot of freshwater fish diversity, home to over 3,200 species, but it’s also a hotspot of risk,” Eric Oyare, WWF’s Africa freshwater lead, said in a statement. “When these fish disappear, we lose much more than species: we lose food and nutrition security, livelihoods, ecosystem balance, and adaptive capacities to climate change.” The report points to habitat destruction, pollution, overfishing, invasive species and climate change as key drivers of freshwater fish decline. Lake Malawi’s iconic chambo tilapia, for example, declined by 94% from 2006-2016. Meanwhile, Lake Victoria has likely seen hundreds of cichlid species vanish since the introduction of the invasive Nile perch and water hyacinth. Africa also accounts for almost 30% of global freshwater fish catch, according to the report. The continent’s freshwater fisheries are…This article was originally published on Mongabay

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