Healthy freshwater ecosystems are crucial for sustainable development, yet they face growing threats from unsustainable water use. However, current water scarcity metrics focus almost exclusively on human demand, overlooking whether sufficient water remains to sustain ecosystems. We address this gap by presenting the first evaluation of ecological water scarcity (EWS) across 1,182 river basins, introducing a novel indicator that recognizes ecosystems as legitimate water users to those of humans. Our findings reveal that in the 2000s, 412 basins (35% globally; 17% annual, 18% seasonal) experienced EWS, with affected areas expanding by 10 million km² since the 1950s. Human intervention intensified EWS in 13% of basins and caused 53% of seasonal and 60% of annual EWS cases. By the 2050s, affected basins range from 392 under RCP2.6–SSP1 to 416 under RCP8.5–SSP5, with persistent hotspots in regions of intensive water use. These findings show that climate mitigation can reduce future EWS risk, but environmental flow protection, water-use efficiency, water recycling, ecologically informed infrastructure operation and ecosystem restoration are also needed to safeguard freshwater ecosystems.
Freshwater fishes remain inadequately considered in the planning of river protected areas (RPAs), a concern in eco‐fragile areas such as arid regions. However, range shifts of fishes driven by climate‐related hydrological change, which affect spatial prioritization of habitats, have not been sufficiently considered, ch...
Meng-Ru Wei, Tao Feng, Xia Zhang et al.· Water Resources Research· 0 citations
Increasing droughts are exacerbating the imbalance between water supply and demand, complicating efforts to secure reliable water and food supplies for key sectors. However, limited understanding of how water use responds to drought constrains effective risk management and climate adaptation. Using monthly water use an...
Climate change is altering hydrological regimes across the Amazon Basin, with implications for water security, freshwater ecosystems, and climate adaptation planning. This study analyzes projected multiannual and seasonal streamflow changes for 2015–2050 under SSP3-7.0 and SSP5-8.5 using HydroBID, building on a previ...
Rocío Sánchez Maldonado, Silvia Benítez, M. Carvajal et al.· Scientific Reports· 0 citations
Water scarcity threatens the sustainability of global socio‐economic and ecological systems, with China facing particularly severe pressure. While urban water challenges have received wide attention, the role of rural residents—who account for a large share of China's population and whose consumption patterns strongl...
Xi Chen, Ya-Qi Yang, Chen-Yang Shuai et al.· Sustainable Development· 0 citations
Water quality degradation in river ecosystems is a growing global challenge,
driven by both anthropogenic activities and climate change. The Kashafroud River
in northeastern Iran is a critical water source for nearly two million people, yet it
faces mounting pressures from rising temperatures (~1.5 °C over the past thr...
Marzieh Mohammadi Aria, A. Ghezelsofloo, Ben Jarihani· Central Asian Journal of Wat...· 0 citations
Introduction: Climate change and land-use conversion are driving unprecedented biodiversity loss across South American ecotones, yet most native plant species in these regions lack formal conservation assessments. Here we present the first comprehensive climate vulnerability analysis for Castela tweedii (Simaroubaceae)...
Edivando Vitor Do Couto, Reginaldo Ré, M. Caxambú· Academia Biology· 0 citations
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