The global geography of threats to freshwater biodiversity.

Freshwater species across 21,490 amphibians, fish, mammals, odonates, and reptiles are mapped as strongly affected by 45 overlapping threats, especially in highly developed, water-managed regions.

• Why it matters: Conservation planning needs a global, species-centered picture of where freshwater threats are acting, beyond existing vulnerability metrics.
• What they did: The study built a spatial assessment of threat impacts by mapping 45 threats onto 21,490 freshwater species across multiple taxa and regions.
• The result: Higher threat probabilities are linked to elevated extinction risk and population declines, and freshwater species show greater threat intensity and distinct spatial patterns than terrestrial species.

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