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IUCN WCPA Freshwater Specialist Group

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IUCN COMMISSION GROUP

IUCN WCPA Freshwater Specialist Group

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Overview and description

Description:
The Freshwater Specialist Group conducts research, conservation, and outreach to ensure the diversity of Earth’s freshwater ecosystems are represented in the global protected area network so their ...
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The Freshwater Specialist Group conducts research, conservation, and outreach to ensure the diversity of Earth’s freshwater ecosystems are represented in the global protected area network so their functions are sustained or restored, and there is sufficient knowledge about these ecosystems so they are properly managed within protected areas. This SG is divided into 4 sub-groups.
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Group leadership

Dr Harmony PATRICIO

Co-Chair

Harmony has 15 years of experience in conservation science, policy and management of rare species. She has primarily worked in Central America, Southeast Asia and the U.S. She spent six years in the ...

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Harmony has 15 years of experience in conservation science, policy and management of rare species. She has primarily worked in Central America, Southeast Asia and the U.S. She spent six years in the Mekong River Basin, directing and implementing conservation focused on freshwater biodiversity. She received a Master of Public Administration degree in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University. Her PhD thesis was undertaken at the Australian Rivers Institute, and focused on development of modern and ancient environmental DNA methods to assess distribution patterns of rare fish and river biodiversity. She serves on the IUCN Species Survival Commission's Freshwater Conservation Committee and Freshwater Fish Specialist Group. She is also the Co-Chair of the Freshwater Specialist Group for the World Commission on Protected Areas.

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Dr Rebecca FLITCROFT

Co-Chair
My research focuses on Pacific salmonids, multiscale aquatic ecosystem assessments over time, effects of disturbances on aquatic ecosystems and native biota, community-based conservation planning, and ...
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My research focuses on Pacific salmonids, multiscale aquatic ecosystem assessments over time, effects of disturbances on aquatic ecosystems and native biota, community-based conservation planning, and aquatic biodiversity. I particularly enjoy opportunities to work in multi-disciplinary groups that allow the complexity of the natural world to be more fully represented in research questions and studies. I also serve as the co-chair of the Freshwater Specialist Group for the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), part of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
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Within the overarching mission, the Specialist Group promotes increasingly representative and effective collaboration between people involved in management and policy of freshwater protected areas, enables uptake of outputs from the Specialist Group within IUCN and more broadly, and functions as a source of emergent expertise on the challenges and solutions associated with conserving freshwater systems. The Specialist Group provides opportunities for young professionals to engage with freshwater protections and for knowledge sharing through the Youth Engagement initiative and is structured into four sub-groups.  

  • Protected Area Management sub-group goals: 
    • Ensure freshwater ecosystems are integrated into the network of protected areas and OECMs; review and compile criteria for effective management; and characterize the role of protected areas and OECMs in the conservation and management of transboundary waters 
    • To remain involved with ongoing development of adaptive management and adaptive governance guidelines (e.g. CBD, SDG’s, UN Watercourses Convention)
    • To produce guidelines and publications promoting connectivity in freshwater systems
  • Emerging Threats sub-group goals:  
    • Integrate adaptation to emerging threats into plans for establishing and managing freshwater protected areas and OECMs 
    • Support the programme of work on Biological Diversity of Inland Water Ecosystems under the Convention on Biological Diversity, recognizing the role of the Ramsar Convention and the Convention on Migratory Species 
    • Provide recommendations regarding climate change and freshwater protections  
  • Sacred Waters and Indigenous Communities sub-group goals: 
    • Integrate other perspectives into policy related to freshwater protected areas
    • Identify freshwater protected areas or OECMs where sacred or indigenous values are key considerations in policy and management
    • Identify possible locations where sacred or indigenous values would be strong drivers of freshwater protection measures
  • Global Policy sub-group goals: 
    • Ensure freshwater ecosystems are adequately reflected in global policy 
    • Support the implementation of the UN Watercourses Convention, specifically where it relates to the protection and preservation of ecosystems within international watercourses 
    • Endorse and promote global freshwater assessment programmes

At a glance

Official name:
IUCN WCPA Freshwater Specialist Group
Associated Commissions:
World Commission on Protected Areas
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