Resilient rivers and connected marine systems: a review of mutual sustainability opportunities

Non-technical summary Rivers are crucial to the water cycle, linking the landscape to the sea. Human activities, including effluent discharge, water use and fisheries, have transformed the resilience of many rivers around the globe. Sustainable development goal (SDG) 14 prioritizes addressing many o...

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Main Authors: Henry H. Hansen, Eva Bergman, Ian G. Cowx, Lovisa Lind, Valentina H. Pauna, Kathryn A. Willis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press 2023-01-01
Series:Global Sustainability
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Online Access:https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2059479822000199/type/journal_article
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author Henry H. Hansen
Eva Bergman
Ian G. Cowx
Lovisa Lind
Valentina H. Pauna
Kathryn A. Willis
author_facet Henry H. Hansen
Eva Bergman
Ian G. Cowx
Lovisa Lind
Valentina H. Pauna
Kathryn A. Willis
author_sort Henry H. Hansen
collection DOAJ
description Non-technical summary Rivers are crucial to the water cycle, linking the landscape to the sea. Human activities, including effluent discharge, water use and fisheries, have transformed the resilience of many rivers around the globe. Sustainable development goal (SDG) 14 prioritizes addressing many of the same issues in marine ecosystems. This review illustrates how rivers contribute directly and indirectly to SDG 14 outcomes, and also provides ways to potentially address them through a river to sea view on policy, management and research. Technical summary The United Nations initiated the SDGs to produce ‘a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future’. Established in 2015, progress of SDGs directed at the aquatic environment is slow despite an encroaching 2030 deadline. The modification of flow regimes combined with other anthropogenic pressures underpin ecological impacts across aquatic ecosystems. Current SDG 14 targets (life below water) do not incorporate the interrelationships of rivers and marine systems systematically, nor do they provide recommendations on how to improve existing management and policy in a comprehensive manner. Therefore, this review aims to illustrate the linkages between rivers and marine ecosystems concerning the SDG 14 targets and to illustrate land to sea-based strategies to reach sustainability goals. We provide an applied case study to show how opportunities can be explored. We review three major areas where mutual opportunities are present: (1) rivers contribute to marine and estuary ecosystem resilience (targets 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.5); (2) resilient rivers are part of the global fisheries sustainability concerns (targets 14.4, 14.6, 14.7, 14.B) and (3) enhancing marine policy and research from a river and environmental flows perspective (targets 14.A, 14.C). Social media summary Restoring resilience to rivers and their environmental flows helps fulfil SDG 14.
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spelling doaj-art-872f1e6f8a334abeb1c814f28a441fc32024-12-12T03:58:20ZengCambridge University PressGlobal Sustainability2059-47982023-01-01610.1017/sus.2022.19Resilient rivers and connected marine systems: a review of mutual sustainability opportunitiesHenry H. Hansen0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8630-2875Eva Bergman1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2220-1615Ian G. Cowx2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3538-924XLovisa Lind3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7212-8121Valentina H. Pauna4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7778-526XKathryn A. Willis5https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7614-1027Department of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, SwedenDepartment of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, SwedenHull International Fisheries Institute, University of Hull, Hull, UKDepartment of Environmental and Life Sciences, Karlstad University, Karlstad, SwedenNorwegian Institute for Sustainability Research, Fredrikstad, NorwayCentre for Marine Socioecology, University of Tasmania, Hobart, AustraliaNon-technical summary Rivers are crucial to the water cycle, linking the landscape to the sea. Human activities, including effluent discharge, water use and fisheries, have transformed the resilience of many rivers around the globe. Sustainable development goal (SDG) 14 prioritizes addressing many of the same issues in marine ecosystems. This review illustrates how rivers contribute directly and indirectly to SDG 14 outcomes, and also provides ways to potentially address them through a river to sea view on policy, management and research. Technical summary The United Nations initiated the SDGs to produce ‘a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future’. Established in 2015, progress of SDGs directed at the aquatic environment is slow despite an encroaching 2030 deadline. The modification of flow regimes combined with other anthropogenic pressures underpin ecological impacts across aquatic ecosystems. Current SDG 14 targets (life below water) do not incorporate the interrelationships of rivers and marine systems systematically, nor do they provide recommendations on how to improve existing management and policy in a comprehensive manner. Therefore, this review aims to illustrate the linkages between rivers and marine ecosystems concerning the SDG 14 targets and to illustrate land to sea-based strategies to reach sustainability goals. We provide an applied case study to show how opportunities can be explored. We review three major areas where mutual opportunities are present: (1) rivers contribute to marine and estuary ecosystem resilience (targets 14.1, 14.2, 14.3, 14.5); (2) resilient rivers are part of the global fisheries sustainability concerns (targets 14.4, 14.6, 14.7, 14.B) and (3) enhancing marine policy and research from a river and environmental flows perspective (targets 14.A, 14.C). Social media summary Restoring resilience to rivers and their environmental flows helps fulfil SDG 14. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2059479822000199/type/journal_articleriver to seariversSDG 14SDG acceleration actionssustainabilitytransboundary waters
spellingShingle Henry H. Hansen
Eva Bergman
Ian G. Cowx
Lovisa Lind
Valentina H. Pauna
Kathryn A. Willis
Resilient rivers and connected marine systems: a review of mutual sustainability opportunities
Global Sustainability
river to sea
rivers
SDG 14
SDG acceleration actions
sustainability
transboundary waters
title Resilient rivers and connected marine systems: a review of mutual sustainability opportunities
title_full Resilient rivers and connected marine systems: a review of mutual sustainability opportunities
title_fullStr Resilient rivers and connected marine systems: a review of mutual sustainability opportunities
title_full_unstemmed Resilient rivers and connected marine systems: a review of mutual sustainability opportunities
title_short Resilient rivers and connected marine systems: a review of mutual sustainability opportunities
title_sort resilient rivers and connected marine systems a review of mutual sustainability opportunities
topic river to sea
rivers
SDG 14
SDG acceleration actions
sustainability
transboundary waters
url https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S2059479822000199/type/journal_article
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AT iangcowx resilientriversandconnectedmarinesystemsareviewofmutualsustainabilityopportunities
AT lovisalind resilientriversandconnectedmarinesystemsareviewofmutualsustainabilityopportunities
AT valentinahpauna resilientriversandconnectedmarinesystemsareviewofmutualsustainabilityopportunities
AT kathrynawillis resilientriversandconnectedmarinesystemsareviewofmutualsustainabilityopportunities