Journal Article

Groundwater-dependent ecosystem map exposes global dryland protection needs

Job, Nancy, Roberts, Dar A., Huntington, Justin, Rodella, Aude-Sophie, Famiglietti, James S., Saito, Laurel, Caylor, Kelly, Morton, Charles, Zaveri, Esha, Huggins, Xander, Sharman, Ali, Stella, John C., Richter, Holly, Howard, Jeanette K., Albano, Christine M., Rohde, Melissa M., Klausmeyer, Kirk R., Toderich, Kristina, Gleeson, Tom, Purdy, Adam J., Freed, Zach, Singer, Michael Bliss, Chandanpurkar, Hrishikesh A.

2024

Overview

Groundwater is the most ubiquitous source of liquid freshwater globally, yet its role in supporting diverse ecosystems is rarely acknowledged 1 , 2 . However, the location and extent of groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are unknown in many geographies, and protection measures are lacking 1 , 3 . Here, we map GDEs at high-resolution (roughly 30 m) and find them present on more than one-third of global drylands analysed, including important global biodiversity hotspots 4 . GDEs are more extensive and contiguous in landscapes dominated by pastoralism with lower rates of groundwater depletion, suggesting that many GDEs are likely to have already been lost due to water and land use practices. Nevertheless, 53% of GDEs exist within regions showing declining groundwater trends, which highlights the urgent need to protect GDEs from the threat of groundwater depletion. However, we found that only 21% of GDEs exist on protected lands or in jurisdictions with sustainable groundwater management policies, invoking a call to action to protect these vital ecosystems. Furthermore, we examine the linkage of GDEs with cultural and socio-economic factors in the Greater Sahel region, where GDEs play an essential role in supporting biodiversity and rural livelihoods, to explore other means for protection of GDEs in politically unstable regions. Our GDE map provides critical information for prioritizing and developing policies and protection mechanisms across various local, regional or international scales to safeguard these important ecosystems and the societies dependent on them. Mapping of groundwater-dependent ecosystems, which support biodiversity and rural livelihoods, shows they occur on more than one-third of global drylands analysed, but lack protections to safeguard these critical ecosystems and the societies dependent upon them from groundwater depletion.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group
• Subject: 631/158/672 / 704/158/2459 / 704/172/4081 / 704/242 / 706/2805 / Agriculture - statistics & numerical data / Animals / Arid zones / Biodiversity / Biodiversity hot spots / Climate change / Conservation of Natural Resources - statistics & numerical data / Conservation of Natural Resources - trends / Culture / Economic factors / Ecosystem / Ecosystem management / Ecosystems / Environmental economics / Freshwater ecosystems / Geographic Mapping / Groundwater / Groundwater - analysis / Groundwater depletion / Groundwater management / Humanities and Social Sciences / Jurisdiction / Land use / Machine learning / multidisciplinary / Pastoralism / Policies / Precipitation / Regional development / Regions / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Socioeconomic Factors / Socioeconomics / Surface water / Sustainability management / Sustainable Development / Topography / Vegetation mapping / Water rights / Water supply