The World's Forgotten Fishes - 45

PRIORITIZE

PARTNER AND INNOVATE

VALUE FRESHWATER FISHES

However much we would like to, there
is no way to protect and restore all
the world's rivers, lakes and wetlands:
there will need to be trade-offs. This
will involve hard decisions, particularly
in the short to medium term as
countries begin to implement their
economic recovery strategies from the
Covid-19 pandemic. We will need a
delicate balancing act to ensure that
these strategies do not put us on a
path towards further loss. Countries
will need to prioritize - basing their
decisions on the values of their most
important freshwater ecosystems,
including healthy freshwater fisheries,
and their potential contribution to
fulfilling their commitments under
the SDGs, CBD and the Paris
Agreement on climate change.

While the solutions exist, real
progress towards halting the loss of
freshwater fishes and ensuring healthier
freshwater ecosystems will only be
achieved through collective action
involving governments, businesses,
investors, NGOs and communities.
Corporate water stewardship provides
an opportunity to explore partnerships
and creates a space for the private
sector to come on board as a key
partner to improve the health of
freshwater ecosystems, while financial
institutions can invest in innovative
financial solutions, like bankable
projects, that can strengthen
resilience and generate returns.

Last but not least, it's time to pay
attention to the fact that there are
18,075 species of freshwater fishes -
and how important they are to people
and nature. They have been forgotten
for far too long, despite swimming
through our cultures and feeding
people for millennia. They might be
out-of-sight below the surface of our
rivers, lakes and wetlands but it's time
to look at the critical role they play in
societies, economies and ecosystems.
And it's time to factor them into all
development decisions about rivers,
lakes and wetlands.

But conservation organizations
also need to prioritize. To save
freshwater fishes, we need to rally
behind the GBO's Sustainable
Freshwater Transition and the
Emergency Recovery Plan for
freshwater biodiversity. We need
to speak with one voice so that
governments, businesses, cities and
communities are clear about what
needs to be done. And then we need to
prioritize programmes and activities
that help governments to achieve the
new targets that they will set.

ENSURING A BRIGHTER
FUTURE FOR THE
WORLD'S FRESHWATER
FISHES...WILL MEAN A
BRIGHTER FUTURE
FOR PEOPLE
AND NATURE.

Reversing decades of decline will be
difficult, but we know what needs
to be done. All the organizations
involved in this report are fully
committed to ensuring a brighter
future for the world's freshwater fishes
because that will mean a brighter,
sustainable future for people and
nature. We hope you will join us.

The World's Forgotten Fishes page 45
The World's Forgotten Fishes

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The World's Forgotten Fishes
