EPS eLibrary: ASSESSING THE STATUS OF FISH FAUNA IN THE VELEKA RIVER THROUGH AN ADAPTED LIVING PLANET INDEX (LPI): TRENDS AND ECOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

Peer-reviewed articles 17,970 +

Proceedings Cover

Title: ASSESSING THE STATUS OF FISH FAUNA IN THE VELEKA RIVER THROUGH AN ADAPTED LIVING PLANET INDEX (LPI): TRENDS AND ECOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

Year

2025

BibTex Views:

432

Peer Reviewed

Open this article in the author's DB

<< Back to list

Title

ASSESSING THE STATUS OF FISH FAUNA IN THE VELEKA RIVER THROUGH AN ADAPTED LIVING PLANET INDEX (LPI): TRENDS AND ECOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

PlumX Article Metrics by Elsevier

Authors

Radoslava Beko; Bogdan Prodanov

DOI

10.5593/sgem2025/5.1/s19.004

DOI Issue

10.5593/sgem2025/5.1

ISSN

1314-2704

ISBN

978-619-7603-85-9

Language

English

Volume

Issue

5.1

Editor

• Prof. Dr. hab. oec. Baiba Rivza, LATVIA• Prof. DSc. Ildiko Tulbure, GERMANY• Prof. DSc. Oleksandr Trofymchuk, UKRAINE

Scientific Area

Ecology, Biodiversity, and Environmental Protection

Abstract/ Foreword

This study applies an adapted Living Planet Index (LPI) to assess long-term trends in fish populations in the Veleka River (southeastern Bulgaria) from 2010 to 2024. Based on standardized electrofishing data across seven stations, 11 native and naturalized species were analyzed using log-transformed abundance time series. The LPI declined from 1.0 in 2010 to 0.28 in 2024, indicating a 72% reduction in average fish abundance. Potamodromous species (e.g., Barbus cyclolepis, Chondrostoma vardarense) exhibited declines exceeding 80%, with some becoming locally extinct. This trend aligns with increasing summer water temperatures (+1.4 °C anomaly), diffuse agricultural pollution, and moderate hydromorphological alterations. Physico-chemical gradients revealed oligotrophic headwaters transitioning to mesotrophic and eutrophic conditions downstream, with nitrate concentrations rising from <0.5 to 1-3 mg/l. Linear regression showed a significant negative trend (R² = 0.758), supporting the LPI's sensitivity to cumulative stressors. These findings confirm the utility of the LPI as a biodiversity indicator at local scale and call for urgent conservation measures, including riparian restoration and nutrient load control. The study recommends integrating LPI metrics into national monitoring under the EU Water Framework Directive and Biodiversity Strategy 2030.

References (click to open)

[1] Dudgeon D, Arthington A.H, Gessner M.O, Kawabata Z, Knowler D.J., Lévêque C, Naiman R.J., Prieur-Richard A.H., Soto D., Stiassny M.L., Sullivan C.A, Freshwater biodiversity: importance, threats, status and conservation challenges. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2006 May;81(2):163-82. doi: 10.1017/S1464793105006950.
[2] Reid A.J., Carlson A.K., Creed I.F., Eliason E.J., Gell P.A., Johnson P.T.J., Kidd K.A., MacCormack T.J., Olden J.D., Ormerod S.J., Smol J.P., Taylor W.W., Tockner K., Vermaire J.C., Dudgeon D., Cooke S.J., Emerging threats and persistent conservation challenges for freshwater biodiversity. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc. 2019 Jun;94(3):849-873. doi: 10.1111/brv.12480.
[3] Tickner D., Opperman J.J., Abell R., Acreman M., Arthington A.H., Bunn S.E.,Young L., Bending the curve of global freshwater biodiversity loss: An emergency recovery plan, BioScience, USA, vol. 70(4), 2020, pp 330–342, ISSN 0006-3568, DOI:10.1093/biosci/biaa002.
[4] Vörösmarty C.J., McIntyre P.B., Gessner M.O., Dudgeon D., Prusevich A., Green P., Glidden s., Bunn S.E., Sullivan C. A., Liermann C. R., Davies P.M., Global threats to human water security and river biodiversity, Nature, UK, vol. 467(7315), 2010, pp 555–561, ISSN 0028-0836, DOI:10.1038/nature09440.
[5] Woodward G., Perkins D.M., Brown L.E., Climate change and freshwater ecosystems: impacts across multiple levels of organization, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, UK, vol. 365(1549), 2010, pp 2093–2106, ISSN 0962-8436, DOI:10.1098/rstb.2010.0055.
[6] Loh J., Green R.E., Ricketts T., Lamoreux J., Jenkins M., Kapos V., Randers J, The Living Planet Index: Using species population time series to track trends in biodiversity Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B (2005) 360, 289–295 doi:10.1098/rstb.2004.1584.
[7] WWF, Living Planet Report 2024 – Building a Nature-Positive Society, WWF International, Switzerland, 2024.
[8] Deinet, S., Scott-Gatty, K., Rotton, H., Twardek, W. M., Marconi, V., McRae, L., Baumgartner, L. J., Brink, K., Claussen, J. E., Cooke, S. J., Darwall, W., Eriksson, B. K., Garcia de Leaniz, C., Hogan, Z., Royte, J., Silva, L. G. M., Thieme, M. L., Tickner, D., Waldman, J., ... Berkhuysen, A. (2020). The Living Planet Index (LPI) for migratory freshwater fish: Technical Report. World Fish Migration Foundation. https://worldfishmigrationfoundation.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/LPI_report_2020.pdf
[9] Ledger, S.E.H., Loh, J., Almond, R. et al. Past, present, and future of the Living Planet Index. npj biodivers 2, 12, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44185-023-00017-3.
[10] Rounsevell, M. D. A., Settele, J., Tucker, G., van Vuuren, D. P., & Young, O. R. Biodiversity and human well-being: An urgent call for integrated action (IIASA Policy Brief No. 37). Laxenburg, Austria: International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). 2023. https://iiasa.ac.at/sites/default/files/2023-03/ PB37_Biodiversity _WEBnew.pdf.
[11] Simic, V., Simic, S., & Pešic, V. 2023. Ecological Sustainability of Fish Resources of Inland Waters of the Western Balkans. Freshwater Fish Stocks, Sustainable Use and Conservation, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-36926-1.
[12] Alkan, A., Serdar, S., Fidan, D., & Kiliç, M. B. (2013). Physico-chemical characteristics and nutrient levels of the Eastern Black Sea rivers. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 13(5), 847–859. DOI: 10.4194/1303-2712-v13_5_09 https://www.trjfas.org/uploads/pdf_137.pdf
[13] Mihov, S. 2010. Development of Fish Based Index for Assessing Ecological Status of Bulgarian Rivers. Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment, Special Balkan Conference Edition. Retrieved from https://scispace.com/pdf/development-of-fish-based-index-for-assessing-ecological-oacod3v3k6.pdf
[14] Dimov, D., Georgiev, D., Goranova, C., et al. 2023. Fish diversity, status and distribution in Bulgarian Black Sea catchment rivers. Diversity, 15(9), 954. https://doi.org/10.3390/d15090954
[15] Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW), Management Plan for Protected Site BG0001007 – Veleka River, Sofia, Bulgaria, 2016.
[16] Dikov, T., & Živkov, M. Abundance and biomass of fishes in the Veleka River, Bulgaria. Folia Zoologica, 53(1), 2004, pp 81–86..
[17] Trichkova T., Stefamov T., Mihov St., Vasilev M., Zivkov M., Species composition and conservation status of the ichtyofauna in the South Black Sea revers of Bulgaria. Scientific articles. Ecology 2006. Pp 327 – 338, ISBN 954-9368-16-5.
[18] Collen B, Loh J, Whitmee S, McRae L, Amin R, Baillie JE. Monitoring change in vertebrate abundance: the living planet index. Conserv Biol. 2009 Apr;23(2):317-27. doi: 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2008.01117.x. Epub 2008 Nov 17. PMID: 19040654.
[19] Executive Environment Agency. (2024). National report on the state and protection of the environment in Bulgaria in 2022 [PDF]. https:// test.eea. government.bg/bg/soer/2024/soer-bg-2024.pdf [in Bulgarian]

Acknowledgements (click to open)

This geomorphological and hydromorphological in coastal sector of mouth of Veleka River was developed under the project "Mapping and Spatiotemporal Analysis of Beach-Dune Systems on the Southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast: Evolution, Anthropogenic Pressure, and Ecological Risks to Dune Habitats (MapBGBeachDune)" of the Institute of Oceanology – BAS, Grant ? ??-06-H84/5-16.12.2024 under Competition for financial support of basic research projects of Bulgarian National Science Fund.

Type

conference

Url

https://doi.org/10.5593/sgem2025/5.1/s19.004

Full manuscript

Download PDF

ASSESSING THE STATUS OF FISH FAUNA IN THE VELEKA RIVER THROUGH AN ADAPTED LIVING PLANET INDEX (LPI): TRENDS AND ECOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS

Proceedings Тitle

Proceedings of 25th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2025, Volume 25, Issue 5.1

Note

25th International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM 2025, Volume 25, Issue 5.1, 29 June - 6 July, 2025

Type

Proceedings Paper

Publisher

STEF92 Technology

Series

International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference Surveying Geology and Mining Ecology Management, SGEM

Organization

SWS Scholarly Society; Acad Sci Czech Republ; Latvian Acad Sci; Polish Acad Sci; Russian Acad Sci; Serbian Acad Sci and Arts; Natl Acad Sci Ukraine; Natl Acad Sci Armenia; Sci Council Japan; European Acad Sci, Arts and Letters; Acad Fine Arts Zagreb Croatia; Croatian Acad Sci and Arts; Acad Sci Moldova; Montenegrin Acad Sci and Arts; Georgian Acad Sci; Acad Fine Arts and Design Bratislava; Russian Acad Arts; Turkish Acad Sci.

Pages

27-40

Date

29 June - 6 July, 2025

Online Source Type

website

Digital Source Type

10446

Keywords

ichthyofauna, Living Planet Index, climate changes, Veleka River, Strandzha Mountain, Bulgarian Black Sea Coast