Living Rivers
Year: 2024
Type: book-chapter
Abstract: This chapter explores the biodiversity within Asian Highland river systems. These river systems are among the world’s highest and longest and are one of three regions with the greatest diversity of freshwater biota (as indicated by fish species). The biota they support and the ecosystem services they provide are nonetheless experiencing profound and rapid change, with so far inadequate conservation responses. This chapter describes these processes and the impact of anthropogenic activities on the rivers’ health. It suggests that the construction of dams on the river is creating a cascade of impacts that will particularly affect the freshwater species whose lifecycles are tied to specific river flows and those living along the rivers. Solutions to these issues will require multiple, substantial, coordinated, and nuanced responses. The main text of this chapter is followed by two boxed sidebars. The first defines wetlands, which host the most intense biodiversity within the river catchments. The second describes lu , a class of supernatural beings whom many Highland residents believe live in wetlands and other wet places.
Source: Routledge eBooks
Authors: Ruth Gamble, Gillian G. Tan, Hongzhang Xu, Sara Beavis, Petra Maurer, Jamie Pittock, John Powers, Robert J. Wasson
Language: English
Subfield: Nature and Landscape Conservation
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4403194819