Water diversion in Brazil threatens biodiversity

• Autor(a) principal: Daga, Vanessa S.
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Outros Autores: Azevedo-Santos, Valter M. [UNESP], Pelicice, Fernando M., Fearnside, Philip M., Perbiche-Neves, Gilmar, Paschoal, Lucas R. P., Cavallari, Daniel C., Erickson, Jose, Ruocco, Ana M. C. [UNESP], Oliveira, Igor, Padial, Andre A., Vitule, Jean R. S.
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNESP
• Texto Completo: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13280-019-01189-8; http://hdl.handle.net/11449/195013
• topic: Animal conservation; Biological conservation; Biological invasions; Biotic interchange; Environmental impacts; Inter-basin water transfer

Construction of water diversions is a common response to the increasing demands for freshwater, often resulting in benefits to communities but with the risk of multiple environmental, economic, and social impacts. Water-diversion projects can favor massive introductions and accelerate biotic homogenization. This study provides empirical evidence on the consequences of a proposed law intended to divert water from two large and historically isolated river basins in Brazil: Tocantins to Sao Francisco. Compositional similarity (CS) and beta-diversity were quantified encompassing aquatic organisms: mollusks, zooplankton, crustaceans, insects, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and plants. For CS we (i) considered only native species, and (ii) simulated the introduction of non-natives and assumed the extinction of threatened species due to this water-diversion project. We highlight the environmental risks of such large-scale projects, which are expected to cause impacts on biodiversity linked to bioinvasion and homogenization, and we recommend alternatives in order to solve water-demand conflicts.