Freshwater mussel conservation: A global horizon scan of emerging threats and opportunities

ALDRIDGE, DAVID C.; OLLARD, ISOBEL S.; BESPALAYA, YULIA V.; BOLOTOV, IVAN N.; DOUDA, KAREL; GEIST, JUERGEN; HAAG, WENDELL R.; KLUNZINGER, MICHAEL W.; LOPES LIMA, MANUEL; MLAMBO, MUSA C.; RICCARDI, NICOLETTA; SOUSA, RONALDO; STRAYER, DAVID L.; TORRES, SANTIAGO H.; VAUGHN, CARYN C.; ZAJAC, TADEUSZ; ZIERITZ, ALEXANDRA

GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2022 vol. 29 p. 575 - 589

1354-1013

We identified 14 emerging and poorly understood threats and opportunities for addressing the global conservation of freshwater mussels over the next decade. A panel of 17 researchers and stakeholders from six continents submitted a total of 56 topics that were ranked and prioritized using a consensus-building Delphi technique. Our 14 priority topics fell into five broad themes (autecology, population dynamics, global stressors, global diversity, and ecosystem services) and included understanding diets throughout mussel life history; identifying the drivers of population declines; defining metrics for quantifying mussel health; assessing the role of predators, parasites, and disease; informed guidance on the risks and opportunities for captive breeding and translocations; the loss of mussel–fish co-evolutionary relationships; assessing the effects of increasing surface water changes; understanding the effects of sand and aggregate mining; understanding the effects of drug pollution and other emerging contaminants such as nanomaterials; appreciating the threats and opportunities arising from river restoration; conserving understudied hotspots by building local capacity through the principles of decolonization; identifying appropriate taxonomic units for conservation; improved quantification of the ecosystem services provided by mussels; and understanding how many mussels are enough to provide these services. Solutions for addressing the topics ranged from ecological studies to technological advances and socio-political engagement. Prioritization of our topics can help to drive a proactive approach to the conservation of this declining group which provides a multitude of important ecosystem services.