World Wildlife Day – Life Below Water: Aquariums have a crucial role in sustaining biodiversity

The full potential of aquariums to aid and inform species conservation may run deeper than we know, especially when considered across institutions worldwide. A study by Species360 Conservation Science Alliance researchers with IUCN SSC and published in Journal for Nature Conservation (April 2019) reports: Aquariums and zoos hold 21 percent of coral species that are Vulnerable to Climate Change (VCC), Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE), and assessed by the IUCN Red List (IUCN).

Looking collectively at 3,370 fish and coral species in 594 aquariums and zoos worldwide, Species360 Conservation Science Alliance and IUCN Species Survival Commission researchers find a full 14 percent of all known fish species can be found within aquarium collections.

“Aquarium populations offer an enormous representation of diversity that makes them uniquely equipped to help develop conservation strategies,” said Dr. Dalia Conde, research author and Director of the Species360 Conservation Science Alliance, and Associate Professor at the University of Southern Denmark. READ MORE

OPEN DATA study: Data from the study is available at Species360 Conservation Science Alliance Open Data, and the original paper is open access and can be downloaded here.