Working Group 3 Conservation

This working group focusses on the conservation approach needed for all species of naiads. This includes the identification of the environmental factors responsible for population declines, and the production of guidance for their conservation and habitat restoration.

The approach to improving the conservation outcome for freshwater mussels will be to collate and database information from:

1. past catchment conservation actions,
2. captive breeding projects,
3. knowledge on fish hosts,
4. the protocols for emergency actions,
5. historical information on populations and subsequent catchment changes,
6. guidance on assessment.

These actions considered together will lead to important outputs for mussel conservation, including the following publications:

• A horizon scan for emerging threats to freshwater mussels
• A review of conservation actions for freshwater mussels
• A review of captive breeding of freshwater mussels
• A guidance review for the assessment of plans, projects and operations, methodologies for survey and monitoring
• A red list revision for the naiad species in the action
• A draft CEN standard for naiad species
  • Meeting 1 – Jan. 2021 (pdf)
• Contribution to the textbook (see WG4)

A particular emphasis of WG3 is on species not listed in Annex II of the Habitat’s Directive, but under serious threat of extinction.

List of the Working Group members

You can find a list of members belonging to Working Group 3 – Conservation (according to COST declarations) below: