The status and distribution of freshwater biodiversity in the Western Ghats, India- A report by International Union for Conservation of Nature

This report by International Union for Conservation of Nature presents the outcomes of the Western Ghats Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment project, which was developed with the intention of compiling and making freely available information on the conservation status and distribution of key groups of freshwater biodiversity. This was done to inform conservation and development policy and decision making across the region. The report contains 7 chapters followed by a list of appendix.

Chapter 1 gives a background to the report. It sheds light on the value of freshwater biodiversity, the global status of freshwater, situational analysis of the Western Ghats region, the precautionary approach to conserve the species.

Chapter 2 sheds light on the taxonomic groups that were studied in the project. These groups are diverse in nature that supports wetland ecosystems. The chapter spells out the method used to select these groups, the method used to collect data, mapping of species and assessment of the threatened species.

Chapter 3, 4, 5 and 6 elaborates on of freshwater fishes, freshwater molluscs, dragonflies and damselflies and aquatic plants. These chapters first give an overview of the status and distribution of these species in Western Ghats. It then sheds light on their conservation status, their different forms, the major threats faced by these species and finally the conservation actions required and recommendations given to protect them from getting extinct.

Chapter 7 provides a synthesis of all taxa. The main objective to provide details about the different species was to provide outputs to inform conservation and development planning for wetland ecosystems and species at the national, state, catchment and site scales. The chapter lists out the species that are in red list following which the pattern of species richness, centres of richness in the region, distribution of threatened species, the areas where more research is required to gather data about these species . The major threats to freshwater biodiversity in the Western Ghats region, identification of potential freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas and the major ecosystem services that freshwater biodiversity that the region provides.

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