Mind the (information) gap: the importance of exploration and discovery for assessing conservation priorities for freshwater fish

• Published in: Diversity & distributions 2014-01, Vol.20 (1), p.107-113
• Main Authors: Alofs, Karen M., Liverpool, Elford A., Taphorn, Donald C., Bernard, Calvin R., López-Fernández, Hernán
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Aquatic ecosystems; Biodiversity; Biodiversity conservation; BIODIVERSITY VIEWPOINT; Biological and medical sciences; Biological taxonomies; Conservation biology; Endemic species; Endemism; Fauna; Fish; Fresh water ecosystems; Freshwater; Freshwater fishes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Gold mining; Guiana Shield; Guyana; Habitat conservation; Neotropics; River basins; Rivers; Species; Synecology; taxonomy; upper Mazaruni River
• ISSN: 1366-9516; 1472-4642
• DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12127

Biodiversity conservation often is aimed at areas of high species richness and endemism. Our understanding of freshwater fish diversity in the Neotropics is biased by lack of exploration within mountainous regions that historically have been difficult to access. These regions are particularly likely to contain high species endemism. The upper Mazaruni River drainage is hydrogeographically and climatically distinct from the rest of the Essequibo Basin. Recent ichthyological expeditions to the upper Mazaruni discovered up to 32 species previously unknown to science and a fish assemblage with perhaps the highest level of endemism in the Neotropics. This unique ichthyofauna is threatened by gold mining that has severely degraded aquatic habitats and therefore requires immediate protection.