Rivers and their nearly 80% human inhabitants are in a state of crisis, revealed a report published Sept. 30 in the scientific journal ‘Nature.’

The ‘Nature’ report is the first global-scale initiative to quantify the impact of human-induced stressors on human security and river biodiversity – two prior competing perspectives. Researchers found runoff, pollution and invasive species, among the multiple environmental stressors threatening both river dwellers and its thousands of aquatic wildlife species.

“Rivers around the world really are in a crisis state,” said Peter B. McIntyre, the study’s senior author, co-leader and professor of zoology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Using a state-of-the-art global database of 23 geospatial drivers depicting environmental stressors with known impacts on Human Water Security and Biodiversity, the study has shown the vastness of the river crisis to affect developed and developing countries. Researchers noted both global communities would face similarly acute threat levels to their freshwater resources.

“Sources of degradation in many of the developing world’s most threatened rivers bear striking similarities to those of rivers in similar condition in wealthy countries,” said researchers, “Reliance of wealthy nations on costly technological remedies to overcome their water problems and deliver water services does little to abate the underlying threats, producing a false sense of security in industrialized nations and perilous water insecurity in the developing world.”

The report suggested the integration of biodiversity protection with improved irrigation techniques and land use management. “It is more cost effective to ensure that river systems are not impaired in the first place,” advised researchers.

The study offered New York City’s water supply as an example of proper land use management and environmental conservation. New York City’s municipality have kept their water supply clean through protecting the forests and other land in the watersheds that feed their city.

“The forests help filter water and hold soil in place, preventing a lot of sediment from running off, which then keeps the reservoirs supplying New York City much cleaner,” explained researchers, as well as saving the city billions of dollars in water treatment costs.

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