For freshwater variety, nothing beats Missouri

To find a large variety of freshwater animals in the United States, you don't have to go outside Missouri.

The fish, crayfish, mussel, and amphibian fauna of Missouri is more diverse than that of most neighboring states. The diversity of freshwater animals in our state is a result of the variety of habitats that occur here, and the ability of the animals to use these habitats. But will we be able to maintain this diversity.

In a report published in the October issue of "Conservation Biology" researchers' estimate that the North America's freshwater animals are the most endangered species group on the continent. The study warns that the U.S. could lose most of its freshwater species in the next century if steps are not taken to protect them.

Relatively little media attention has been given to freshwater species, the authors say, but these animals are in at least as much danger as land species. Since 1900, at least 123 freshwater animal species have been recorded as extinct in North America. Common freshwater species, from snails to fish to amphibians, are dying out five times faster than land species, and three times faster than coastal marine mammals, the researchers found.

Freshwater animals are dying out as fast as rainforest species, considered by many to be the most imperiled on Earth. The authors predict that about 4 percent of freshwater species will be lost each decade if nothing is done to conserve them. They also predict that many species considered at risk will disappear within the next century. At risk species account for 49 percent of the 262 remaining mussel species, 33 percent of the 336 crayfish species, 26 percent of the 243 amphibian species, and 21 percent of the 1,021 fish species.

If species naturally become extinct, what's the big deal with saving these at risk species? Yes, extinction is a natural process.

Current rates of extinction, however, far exceed that of "background" extinction. According to the study, the background rate of extinction for freshwater fish species is about one species every three million years. The modern extinction rate in North America is about one extinction every 2,600 years, or about 1,000 times higher than the background rate. The point is that much of the decline and subsequent loss of species today is not the result of slow and steady changes in the earth.

The actions of humans are causing accelerated habitat loss and the species that depend on these habitats are declining. Endangered species are an indication that we are not making good land and water management choices. In almost all cases, people and human activities are causing the problems.

It is important to remember that in nature the more species there are in an ecosystem the more stable, productive and resilient that ecosystem will be. In biological and evolutionary terms, prairies are superior to crop fields, bottomland forests are more productive than parks. Nature's richness is counted in species. But that richness is fading.

In Missouri there are nine freshwater species that are on the federal threatened or endangered species list and five are candidates for the list. Habitat destruction and poor water quality are the main reasons for this decline. With only 8 percent of Missouri in public ownership, landowners are encouraged to take an active role in protecting these valuable freshwater species by maintaining critical habitat and protecting water quality. The Missouri Department of Conservation and other federal agencies have programs available that can help landowners with habitat restoration and water quality protection. These programs can help with establishing riparian corridors along streams, protecting and developing wetlands, controlling erosion from agricultural and urban watersheds, and protecting the water quality in our stream, lakes and ground water.

For more information on Missouri's endangered plants and animals and the programs available to landowners contact the Missouri Department of Conservation at 290-5730.

Brad Pobst is a fisheries management biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation.