Abstract

The northern Africa Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment is a conservation status review of 877 northern African freshwater species belonging to five taxonomic groups – fish (128 taxa), molluscs (155 taxa), dragonflies and damselflies (odonata) (82 taxa), freshwater crabs (3 taxa)and aquatic plants (509 taxa). This work addresses the lack of readily available information on the status and distribution of inland water taxa as a basis for adequate representation of freshwater biodiversity within current and future decision-making on the management and conservation of the region’s wetlands. This IUCN Red List publication compiles the results of the assessments of five taxonomic groups and provides the first overview of the conservation status of these species in the region in accordance with the IUCN regional Red List guidelines. Species at risk of regional extinction are mapped and conservation measures are proposed to reduce the probability of future declines.