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Aquatic Ecosystems under Changing Environmental Conditions: What Have We Learned?

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 3556

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Fish Demography and Hydroecology, Management of Aquatic Resources and Aquaculture Unit, Freshwater and Oceanic science Unit of Research-FOCUS, University of Liège, B-4020 Liège, Belgium
Interests: behavioural ecology; freshwater ecology; fish habitat; displacement, movement and migration; restocking; population dynamic; stock assessment; ecosystem management; conservation and management of fisheries resources; environmental condition impact

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Fish Demography and Hydroecology, Management of Aquatic Resources and Aquaculture Unit, Freshwater and Oceanic science Unit of Research-FOCUS, University of Liège, B-4020 Liège, Belgium
Interests: behavioural ecology; freshwater ecology; fish habitat; displacement, movement and migration; restocking; population dynamic; stock assessment; ecosystem management; conservation and management of fisheries resources; environmental condition impact

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Laboratory of Fish Demography and Hydroecology, Management of Aquatic Resources and Aquaculture Unit, Freshwater and Oceanic science Unit of Research-FOCUS, University of Liège, B-4020 Liège, Belgium
Interests: behavioural ecology; freshwater ecology; fish habitat; displacement, movement and migration; restocking; population dynamic; stock assessment; ecosystem management; conservation and management of fisheries resources; environmental condition impact

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Climate change is being reported around the world and is altering the living environment of many living organisms on the Earth's surface. The ever-increasing human demographic pressure also leads to an increasing use of resources, land and water, for human well-being. This has the consequences of contributing to environmental change and aggravating the effects of climate change/warming. Climate change combined with the intense use of resources due to increasing demographic pressure have very diverse and harmful effects on ecosystems. The severity degree of these effects depends on the zones/regions affected (arid, semi-arid, humid, and very humid regions) and the biological specificities of the species (degrees of thermophilia, oxyphilia, flexibility in the habitat use, eurytopic, food specialization). Changing environmental conditions in an ecosystem even for light scenarios can pose a serious threat leading to global biodiversity loss, ranging from cellular to population levels. For all living organisms, the responses to changing environmental conditions at the ecosystem level can be extinction, emigration, and adaptation, with very serious consequences on the biodiversity erosion and the change in the distribution area of the species. Aquatic ecosystems, especially freshwater ecosystems, are scarce on the Earth. These ecosystems are particularly sensitive to changing environmental conditions and they are counted among the most affected ecosystems; still, freshwater ecosystems contain a greater biodiversity.

Despite numerous scientific alerts on changing environmental conditions, their effects on the biology and ecology of species in aquatic ecosystems taken in their typological diversity are still incompletely understood. Regardless, the tools for studying the biology and ecology of species have recently made great progress. These types of studies are essential to better understand the global effects of changes in environmental conditions, especially in aquatic ecosystems (physical habitats, biocenosis); the variety in species’ responses in a typologically aquatic environment diversity including marine, estuarine, lagoon, lake and riverine ecosystems; and the proposals for remedies/solutions associated with this aquatic ecosystem diversity. Such knowledge should lead to an integrated and global policy for the sustainable management of populations as well as aquatic habitats and therefore allow the conservation of ecosystems. This Special Issue should serve as a platform to share new discoveries on the effects of changing environmental conditions, the biological responses of species, and future predictions as well as thoughts on the most likely solutions. Original articles and reviews are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Michaël Ovidio
Dr. Billy Nzau Matondo
Dr. Jean-Philippe Benitez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • behavioral ecology
  • biodiversity
  • stock assessment
  • ecosystem management
  • environmental threat
  • fish distribution

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 1848 KiB  
Article
Fish Farming Activities in Mbanza-Ngungu: Farmer Socio-Professional Profiles, Production Practices, and Improvement Opportunities for Sustainable Aquaculture
by Lydie Bambi Langa, Soleil Wamuini Lunkayilakio, Patrick Mafwila Kinkela, Vincent Gennotte and Carole Rougeot
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7481; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177481 - 29 Aug 2024
Viewed by 890
Abstract
The study describes the distribution of fish farming activities, identifies and characterizes the stakeholders involved, and assesses their level of knowledge and the techniques used for fish farming in the Territory of Mbanza-Ngungu. Furthermore, it proposes avenues to improve the sustainability and profitability [...] Read more.
The study describes the distribution of fish farming activities, identifies and characterizes the stakeholders involved, and assesses their level of knowledge and the techniques used for fish farming in the Territory of Mbanza-Ngungu. Furthermore, it proposes avenues to improve the sustainability and profitability of the sector. The methodology relied on a snowball approach to recruit a representative sample of 350 fish farmers. Field visits allowed for detailed data collection through a specially designed questionnaire. The data were analyzed using statistical methods (chi-square test of independence) to identify trends and challenges across the sectors of the territory of Mbanza-Ngungu. The findings revealed that fish farming activities are distributed across the territory of Mbanza-Ngungu, with a male predominance (96%) among fish farmers and a growing trend of this activity among older individuals over 40 years old (48%). Additionally, the results demonstrate that aquaculture is mainly a secondary activity for 97% of respondents, yet it could play a pivotal role in household economic diversification. The study identifies predominant practices, such as extensive farming (89%) and monoculture (92%), while highlighting gaps in pond management and fish farmers’ general knowledge. Challenges are mainly related to feed access (28%), financing (27%), training (23%), and water quality monitoring (100%). The commercial orientation of production towards sales (94%) rather than self-consumption offers an opportunity to improve this sector in this territory. Finally, recommendations are made to enhance the sustainability and profitability of aquaculture in the region, including promoting integrated practices, more efficient pond management practices, and aquaculture product processing. Full article
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18 pages, 5271 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Fish Spawning Grounds near the Likouala-Aux-Herbes River, Lac Tele Community Reserve (LTCR), Republic of Congo, for Sustainable Wetland Management
by Eric Bertin Ndzana Biloa, Victor Mamonekene and Jean-Claude Micha
Sustainability 2024, 16(8), 3353; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16083353 - 17 Apr 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 960
Abstract
A land use analysis of Lac Télé Community Reserve (LTCR) using the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), ETM+ images (Enhance Thematic Mapper), and OLI images highlighted significant changes in plant cover between 1986, 1999, and 2019. The rate of forest area increased by 5% [...] Read more.
A land use analysis of Lac Télé Community Reserve (LTCR) using the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM), ETM+ images (Enhance Thematic Mapper), and OLI images highlighted significant changes in plant cover between 1986, 1999, and 2019. The rate of forest area increased by 5% from 1986 to 1999 but decreased by 3% from 1999 to 2019 for the entire LTCR, benefitting the growth of savannahs, which respectively increased by 5% between 1986 to 1999 and 12% between 1999 to 2019. The conversion of this forest area to savannah due to the practice of slash and burn agriculture can be justified by the opening of this forest area, but it contributes greatly to the degradation of fish species spawning grounds in the Likouala-aux-Herbes River. According to characterization of the 151 spawning grounds identified, the physical and chemical water parameters, which have been defined as temperature (28.13 °C), hydrogen potential (4.23), and depth (3.34), did not change significantly in the study villages between July and September 2019. The unregistered ichthyological diversity observed during the study in the seven pilot villages, is due to the diversity of the microhabitats noted in the villages of the LTCR, especially in the villages of Botongo, Mossengue, and Bouanela, where the indices of ichthyological diversity were the highest. Full article
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Review

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17 pages, 1522 KiB  
Review
Ecology and Sustainable Conservation of the Nase, Chondrostoma nasus: A Literature Review
by Michaël Ovidio and Billy Nzau Matondo
Sustainability 2024, 16(14), 6007; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16146007 - 14 Jul 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1106
Abstract
Cyprinid fish play a major role in riverine ecosystems because of their high abundance, variety of life-history patterns, and habitat requirements. The nase (Chondrostoma nasus) is an algivorous, rheophilic, lithophilic, and oxyphilic species and is very pollution-sensitive. Thus, it represents a [...] Read more.
Cyprinid fish play a major role in riverine ecosystems because of their high abundance, variety of life-history patterns, and habitat requirements. The nase (Chondrostoma nasus) is an algivorous, rheophilic, lithophilic, and oxyphilic species and is very pollution-sensitive. Thus, it represents a good indicator for habitat quality in the lower rhithral and upper potamal zones of the European river system. Due to its high level of ecological requirements, the species is very sensitive to human disturbance, leading to habitat loss and river fragmentation, climatic disruption causing a modification of hydrological and thermal regimes, organic and inorganic chemical water pollution, as well as sediment deposition. Its populations are declining in most of its distribution areas. This paper aims to synthesise the scientific knowledge on the different aspects of the nase ecology thanks to consultation of the scientific literature by addressing the following themes: European repartition, morphology and identification, reproduction and life cycle, diet, movement dynamics of adults and juveniles, and the characteristics of spawning grounds and habitats of juveniles and adults. We also provide an overview of the impact of human activities and climate shifts on natural ecology and conservation and present restoration measures based on the results of some studies that have successfully improved their habitats and/or preserved their populations. A series of key research questions are identified that should stimulate new research on this species as well as conservation measures for sustainable conservation. This paper may be particularly of interest to researchers in aquatic and fisheries sciences, river managers, and environmental conservationists. Full article
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