WATERSHED-SCALE ABATEMENT OF THREATS TO FRESHWATER BIODIVERSITY: THE NATURE CONSERVANCY'S FRESHWATER INITIATIVE

Conservation of freshwater biodiversity can be especially challenging when faced with biological information gaps, complex environmental processes, and land- and water-use practices on a watershed and multiple-watershed scale. The Nature Conservancy's Freshwater Initiative, developed in response to these challenges, includes an aggressive program of freshwater biodiversity conservation incorporating threat abatement and adaptive management at watersheds in 25 states in the U.S.A. and seven countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. These watersheds fall roughly into two groups, with primary threats arising from degradation in water quality or alteration of the hydrologic regime; most also face special conservation problems from invasions of non-native species. This paper summarizes the goals, methods, and challenges of the Initiative's threat abatement program and provides examples of its adaptive management approach.