Current and future effects of global change on a hotspot's freshwater diversity

During the past decades, global deforestation for palm oil production has increased dramatically fuelled by growing demands, which, together with on-going climate changes and the unprecedented expansion of invasive species is expected to have catastrophic consequences for biodiversity conservation. Here we focus our attention on freshwater mussels, a vulnerable group facing global declines that provides compelling indications of overall freshwater biodiversity. Using Species Distribution Models based on field data from a recent expedition in the biodiversity hotspot Sundaland, we anticipate major range contractions of native freshwater fauna, and fragmentation of the remaining suitable habitat. Our projections can be used to guide future expeditions to monitor the conservation status of freshwater biodiversity, and potentially reveal populations of potentially extirpated endemic species.168