Less than 1% of the worlds water is currently available for human use and as the global population rises, the demand and competition for these freshwater resources is rapidly increasing. Rivers and lakes are exploited to support our freshwater needs for agriculture and industry, as well as providing a vital source of drinking water.
However, freshwater ecosystems also support a great amount of wildlife, which are becoming increasingly threatened and their habitats degraded, as a result of human activity on and around these ecosystems. There is little emphasis on the conservation of rivers and lakes, yet species dependent on freshwater ecosystems are the worlds most endangered group of plants and animals. The threats jeopardizing the future of freshwater ecosystems include:
Deforestation of drainage basins causes sedimentation, degrades rivers and can have unexpected consequences for freshwater biodiversity.
 Chemical waste and industrial pollutants pumped into local waterways and river systems degrades habitats and kills aquatic life.
Household waste not disposed of properly eventually finds its way to waterways which pollutes rivers and also suffocates and entangles aquatic animals.
Dams alter the flow of waterways disrupting the natural levels of water reaching the ecosystems and obstruct fish breeding migrations.
Overexploitation of rivers and lakes disrupts ecosystem balance and reduces fish populations to levels at which they cannot recover Fertilisers and pesticide run off from agricultural land polluting river systems. This promotes algal overgrowth, decreasing the oxygen levels of the water, killing fish and aquatic life.