Freshwater as a Sustainable Resource and Generator of Secondary Resources in the 21st Century: Stressors, Threats, Risks, Management and Protection Strategies, and Conservation Approaches

Doru Bănăduc (), Vladica Simić, Kevin Cianfaglione, Sophia Barinova, Sergey Afanasyev, Ahmet Öktener, Grant McCall, Snežana Simić and Angela Curtean-Bănăduc ()
Additional contact information
Doru Bănăduc: Applied Ecology Research Center, Faculty of Sciences, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, I. Raţiu Street 5–7, 9, 550012 Sibiu, Romania
Vladica Simić: Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, R. Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Kevin Cianfaglione: FGES, Université Catholique de Lille, F-59000 Lille, France
Sophia Barinova: Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, 199 Abba Khoushi Avenue, Haifa 3498838, Israel
Sergey Afanasyev: Institute of Hydrobiology National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Prospect Geroiv Stalingradu 12, 04210 Kyiv, Ukraine
Ahmet Öktener: Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock, Food Control Laboratory Directorate, Denizli 20010, Turkey
Grant McCall: Center for Human-Environmental Research (CHER), New Orleans, LA 70118, USA
Snežana Simić: Department of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, University of Kragujevac, R. Domanovića 12, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Angela Curtean-Bănăduc: Applied Ecology Research Center, Faculty of Sciences, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, I. Raţiu Street 5–7, 9, 550012 Sibiu, Romania

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 24, 1-29

Abstract: This paper is a synthetic overview of some of the threats, risks, and integrated water management elements in freshwater ecosystems. The paper provides some discussion of human needs and water conservation issues related to freshwater systems: (1) introduction and background; (2) water basics and natural cycles; (3) freshwater roles in human cultures and civilizations; (4) water as a biosphere cornerstone; (5) climate as a hydrospheric ‘game changer’ from the perspective of freshwater; (6) human-induced stressors’ effects on freshwater ecosystem changes (pollution, habitat fragmentation, etc.); (7) freshwater ecosystems’ biological resources in the context of unsustainable exploitation/overexploitation; (8) invasive species, parasites, and diseases in freshwater systems; (9) freshwater ecosystems’ vegetation; (10) the relationship between human warfare and water. All of these issues and more create an extremely complex matrix of stressors that plays a driving role in changing freshwater ecosystems both qualitatively and quantitatively, as well as their capacity to offer sustainable products and services to human societies. Only internationally integrated policies, strategies, assessment, monitoring, management, protection, and conservation initiatives can diminish and hopefully stop the long-term deterioration of Earth’s freshwater resources and their associated secondary resources.

Keywords: freshwater; stressors; threats; risks; management; protection; conservation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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