Open AccessCauses and consequences of recent degradation of the Magdalena River basin, Colombia
Author(s) -
Salgado Jorge,
Shurin Jonathan B.,
Vélez María I.,
Link Andrés,
LoperaCongote Laura,
GonzálezArango Catalina,
Jaramillo Fernando,
Åhlén Imenne,
de Luna Gabriela
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2378-2242
DOI - 10.1002/lol2.10272
Subject(s) - drainage basin , biodiversity , deforestation (computer science) , climate change , geography , ecosystem , population , ecology , environmental science , environmental degradation , aquatic ecosystem , water resource management , environmental protection , biology , demography , cartography , sociology , computer science , programming language
The Magdalena River in Colombia is one of the world's largest (discharge = 7100 m 3 s −1 ) tropical rivers, hosting > 170 aquatic vertebrate species. However, concise synthesis of the current ecological and environmental status is lacking. By documenting the anthropogenic stressors impacting the river on time scales ranging from centuries to decades, we found that the river system is subject to the compounding impacts of climate change, river impoundment, invasive alien species (IAS), catchment deforestation, and water pollution. We show that the Magdalena is a woefully understudied ecosystem relative to its critical importance to Colombia's economy, culture, and biodiversity compared with other similarly sized tropical rivers. We emphasize the need for research on (1) IAS population and ecological dynamics, (2) river damming and its links with IAS and climate change, and (3) land‐use changes as well as identifying sources of water pollution and strategies for mitigation.