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. 2023 Apr;37(2):e13994.
doi: 10.1111/cobi.13994. Epub 2022 Oct 10.

A roadmap for the conservation of freshwater mussels in Europe

Ronaldo Sousa  1 , Tadeusz Zając  2 , Dariusz Halabowski  3   4 , Olga V Aksenova  5 , Yulia V Bespalaya  5 , Francisco Carvalho  1 , Paulo Castro  1 , Karel Douda  6 , Janine P da Silva  1 , Noé Ferreira-Rodríguez  7 , Juergen Geist  8 , Clemens Gumpinger  9 , Anna M Labecka  10 , Jasna Lajtner  11 , Iga Lewin  4 , Manuel Lopes-Lima  12 , Alexandra Meira  1 , Keiko Nakamura  13   14 , Joana Garrido Nogueira  12 , Paz Ondina  15 , Małgorzata Ożgo  16 , Joaquim Reis  17 , Nicoletta Riccardi  18 , Spase Shumka  19 , Mikhail O Son  20 , Amílcar Teixeira  21 , Frankie Thielen  22 , Maria Urbańska  23 , Simone Varandas  12   24 , Niklas Wengström  25 , Katarzyna Zając  2 , Alexandra Zieritz  26 , David C Aldridge  27
Affiliations

A roadmap for the conservation of freshwater mussels in Europe

Ronaldo Sousa et al. Conserv Biol. 2023 Apr.

Abstract

Europe has a long history of human pressure on freshwater ecosystems. As pressure continues to grow and new threats emerge, there is an urgent need for conservation of freshwater biodiversity and its ecosystem services. However, whilst some taxonomic groups, mainly vertebrates, have received a disproportionate amount of attention and funds, other groups remain largely off the public and scientific radar. Freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) are an alarming example of this conservation bias and here we point out six conceptual areas that need immediate and long-term attention: knowledge, threats, socioeconomics, conservation, governance and education. The proposed roadmap aims to advance research, policy and education by identifying the most pressing priorities for the short- and long-term conservation of freshwater mussels across Europe.

Keywords: Unionida; ecosystem services; education; freshwater ecosystems; governance.

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References

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