Inland Waters Biodiversity

GBO-5 Inland Water Highlights

GBO-5 Inland Water Highlights

Click the image for more information

The fifth edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-5) provides a final assessment of progress towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. While nearly all of the Aichi Targets are relevant in some way to aquatic biodiversity, there are some specific elements of the Aichi Targets that are especially relevant to achieving biodiverse and sustainable inland water systems; these are Aichi Targets 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 14 and 15.

For more information, see: GBO-5 Inland Water Highlights

Biodiversity plays an important role in underpinning ecosystem functions and services that are essential for the health and sustainability of our water systems. As outlined in GBO-5, each of the conditions necessary to achieve the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity requires a significant shift away from ‘business as usual’ across a broad range of human activities. The shape and nature of such transformative change can already be identified through a series of transitions under way to a limited extent in key areas. One key transition to a sustainable pathway related to inland water biodiversity is:

The Sustainable Freshwater Transition

This transition recognizes the importance of biodiversity in maintaining the multiple roles of freshwater ecosystems to support human societies and natural processes, including linkages with terrestrial, coastal and marine environments.