Living water: Mapping aquatic biodiversity

Abstract

The diversity of freshwater species is declining faster than the diversity of species in the oceans or on land. Many of these freshwater aquatic species live in and around waterways that pass through national forests and other federal land. Habitat management is key for these species to persist, but to do that effectively, resource managers need information about where the species live and potential current and future threats.

Rebecca Flitcroft, a research fish biologist with the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, led an effort to comprehensively classify and map all aquatic biodiversity at the watershed scale across the contiguous United States. This effort included developing a novel method for identifying and mapping forest-associated aquatic life, as well as mapping stressors related to climate and human development in relation to imperiled species.

This work is visually summarized in the National Aquatic Biodiversity Assessment Dashboard, an interactive, online tool that includes maps and downloadable species lists for native fish, mussels, crayfish, amphibians, and reptiles in specific watersheds, national forests, and ecoregions. It also includes filters to identify endangered aquatic species within a particular national forest or ecoregion. This information enables forest managers to identify the forest-associated species in their management areas and gives planners a way to compare aquatic biodiversity, threats, and priority areas for protection at regional or national scales.

Citation

Kirkland, John; Flitcroft, Rebecca; Penaluna, Brooke. 2024. Living water: Mapping aquatic biodiversity. Science Findings 271. Portland, OR: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station. 6 p.