The overlooked conservation value and ecosystem services of saline lakes
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Saline lakes are hypersensitive to changes in their water balance and therefore show amplified responses to climatic and land-use changes in their catchment. However, despite the resulting, often dramatic ecological consequences, saline lakes rank low on policy agendas as they are assumed to support few ecosystem services and low levels of biodiversity. Here, we challenge this view and evaluate ecosystem services and threatened species in 84 saline lakes distributed across the globe. We found that saline lakes harbour not only threatened aquatic biota but also a diverse range of red-listed terrestrial species that critically rely on the lakes’ existence. Further, our results highlight that saline lakes support, irrespective of their salinity, a number of culturally and economically important ecosystem services. We conclude our analysis with best-practice recommendations for sustainable management of saline lakes. Their local adaptation and implementation will be key for safeguarding biodiversity and ecosystem services of these valuable but highly sensitive ecosystems.
