Due to the lack of a single, accessible, and comprehensive source of information on the global distribution patterns of freshwater species, WWF in collaboration with TNC and other experts delineated ichthyographic units for the world using fish zoogeographies. In the absence of a comprehensive database of freshwater biodiversity, these ichthyographic units will serve as the foundation for a global map of “freshwater ecoregions”—a biogeographic framework for freshwater conservation planning. Fish species are used because they are the best-studied obligate aquatic taxa, and their distributions occur at a scale that is appropriate for delineating broad areas over which ecological and evolutionary processes have historically operated. Moreover, they are the most diverse group of vertebrates and have broad economic importance.

Abell et al. 2008. Freshwater Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Biogeographic Units for Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation. BioScience 58(5) 403-414. doi:10.1641/B580507

For more details on this project, interactive maps and data visit http://www.feow.org/

For more information, please contact us at conservationgateway@tnc.org