Environmental Flows to Prevent Fish Biodiversity Loss in Rapidly Changing Rivers

Dear Colleagues,

Environmental flows (EF)—i.e. prescribed flow regimes that replace the natural hydrological regime of rivers while keeping pre-determined ecological objectives—are pivotal for maintaining fish biodiversity in riverine environments and to restoring fish populations impacted by flow regulation and water abstraction. Notwithstanding, many water bodies worldwide, including rivers in regions with high environmental standards, such as the EU, have been degraded by flow alteration.

The science of EF has been targeting fish communities since its inception, linking critical components of the natural flow regime to descriptors such as habitat use, life-history strategies, and community function. Indeed, numerous staple methodologies used to inform environmental flow assessments continue to rely on fish. Many methods that link fish and flow descriptors have been described, and approaches have increased in complexity, often incorporating multidisciplinary contributions from disciplines such as sociology and economics.

Despite these scientific developments, the efficacy of prescribed EF for the conservation of fish communities is often overlooked. Moreover, evidence of reductions in river natural flows as influenced by recent warming will require fish communities to adapt. Furthermore, this will likely increase the existing conflicts for water resources, threatening the implementation of EF.

Bearing in mind the current status of EF science, this Special Issue addresses the following main question: Do EF successfully maintain viable fish communities in regions where riverine water resources are becoming scarcer and subject to increasing dispute among users? With that aim, the Issue welcomes authors to submit studies that can contribute to making EF science more robust in order to address fish conservation and the restoration of fish habitats in rapidly changing rivers.

Dr. Francisco Nunes Godinho
Dr. Isabel Boavida
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• environmental flows
• fish
• efficiency
• new methodologies
• water scarcity
• conflict