Amazon Basin Hosts 2,700+ Freshwater Fish Species, New Report Urges Immediate Conservation Action

A new fourth‑edition report, “Forgotten Fishes of the Amazon,” led by The Nature Conservancy, documents more than 2,700 freshwater fish species in the Amazon basin—about 15 % of the world’s known species. Two‑thirds of those species are endemic. The study warns that the basin is one of the last major river systems where large‑scale biodiversity loss can still be prevented, but only if action is intensified now. Dams, deforestation, pollution, overfishing, climate change, and artisanal gold mining threaten river connectivity, water quality, and species survival. The report also highlights gaps in knowledge, with 334 species listed as data‑deficient on the IUCN Red List. It calls for coordinated, cross‑border management that formally includes indigenous peoples and community‑based fisheries, which already cover 13 million hectares and involve 1,200 communities and 21,000 workers.