Erik Jeppesen

TY - JOUR

T1 - Scientists’ Warning to Humanity

T2 - Rapid degradation of the world's large lakes

AU - Jenny, Jean Philippe

AU - Anneville, Orlane

AU - Arnaud, Fabien

AU - Baulaz, Yoann

AU - Bouffard, Damien

AU - Domaizon, Isabelle

AU - Bocaniov, Serghei A.

AU - Chèvre, Nathalie

AU - Dittrich, Maria

AU - Dorioz, Jean Marcel

AU - Dunlop, Erin S.

AU - Dur, Gaël

AU - Guillard, Jean

AU - Guinaldo, Thibault

AU - Jacquet, Stéphan

AU - Jamoneau, Aurélien

AU - Jawed, Zobia

AU - Jeppesen, Erik

AU - Krantzberg, Gail

AU - Lenters, John

AU - Leoni, Barbara

AU - Meybeck, Michel

AU - Nava, Veronica

AU - Nõges, Tiina

AU - Nõges, Peeter

AU - Patelli, Martina

AU - Pebbles, Victoria

AU - Perga, Marie Elodie

AU - Rasconi, Serena

AU - Ruetz, Carl R.

AU - Rudstam, Lars

AU - Salmaso, Nico

AU - Sapna, Sharma

AU - Straile, Dietmar

AU - Tammeorg, Olga

AU - Twiss, Michael R.

AU - Uzarski, Donald G.

AU - Ventelä, Anne Mari

AU - Vincent, Warwick F.

AU - Wilhelm, Steven W.

AU - Wängberg, Sten Åke

AU - Weyhenmeyer, Gesa A.

PY - 2020/8

Y1 - 2020/8

N2 - Large lakes of the world are habitats for diverse species, including endemic taxa, and are valuable resources that provide humanity with many ecosystem services. They are also sentinels of global and local change, and recent studies in limnology and paleolimnology have demonstrated disturbing evidence of their collective degradation in terms of depletion of resources (water and food), rapid warming and loss of ice, destruction of habitats and ecosystems, loss of species, and accelerating pollution. Large lakes are particularly exposed to anthropogenic and climatic stressors. The Second Warning to Humanity provides a framework to assess the dangers now threatening the world's large lake ecosystems and to evaluate pathways of sustainable development that are more respectful of their ongoing provision of services. Here we review current and emerging threats to the large lakes of the world, including iconic examples of lake management failures and successes, from which we identify priorities and approaches for future conservation efforts. The review underscores the extent of lake resource degradation, which is a result of cumulative perturbation through time by long-term human impacts combined with other emerging stressors. Decades of degradation of large lakes have resulted in major challenges for restoration and management and a legacy of ecological and economic costs for future generations. Large lakes will require more intense conservation efforts in a warmer, increasingly populated world to achieve sustainable, high-quality waters. This Warning to Humanity is also an opportunity to highlight the value of a long-term lake observatory network to monitor and report on environmental changes in large lake ecosystems.

AB - Large lakes of the world are habitats for diverse species, including endemic taxa, and are valuable resources that provide humanity with many ecosystem services. They are also sentinels of global and local change, and recent studies in limnology and paleolimnology have demonstrated disturbing evidence of their collective degradation in terms of depletion of resources (water and food), rapid warming and loss of ice, destruction of habitats and ecosystems, loss of species, and accelerating pollution. Large lakes are particularly exposed to anthropogenic and climatic stressors. The Second Warning to Humanity provides a framework to assess the dangers now threatening the world's large lake ecosystems and to evaluate pathways of sustainable development that are more respectful of their ongoing provision of services. Here we review current and emerging threats to the large lakes of the world, including iconic examples of lake management failures and successes, from which we identify priorities and approaches for future conservation efforts. The review underscores the extent of lake resource degradation, which is a result of cumulative perturbation through time by long-term human impacts combined with other emerging stressors. Decades of degradation of large lakes have resulted in major challenges for restoration and management and a legacy of ecological and economic costs for future generations. Large lakes will require more intense conservation efforts in a warmer, increasingly populated world to achieve sustainable, high-quality waters. This Warning to Humanity is also an opportunity to highlight the value of a long-term lake observatory network to monitor and report on environmental changes in large lake ecosystems.

KW - Biodiversity loss

KW - Ecosystem services

KW - Eutrophication

KW - Global change

KW - Large lakes

KW - Second Warning to Humanity

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85085286368&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1016/j.jglr.2020.05.006

DO - 10.1016/j.jglr.2020.05.006

M3 - Review

AN - SCOPUS:85085286368

VL - 46

SP - 686

EP - 702

JO - Journal of Great Lakes Research

JF - Journal of Great Lakes Research

SN - 0380-1330

IS - 4

ER -