Humans influence 90 percent of fish habitats in Switzerland
Published: Thursday, Oct 24th 2024, 15:50
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Human activities have a negative impact on nine out of ten potential freshwater fish habitats in Switzerland. This was demonstrated by researchers at the University of Bern (Unibe) using methods of explainable artificial intelligence (AI).
The negative influences include unnatural conditions in watercourses such as artificial banks and barriers that hinder the migration of species in rivers and lakes, as Unibe announced on Thursday. In around half of the river sites identified as potential habitats for fish, several human influences work together to affect the fish populations.
Freshwater ecosystems are among the ecosystems most affected by human activities. Natural factors such as climate and the availability of food are decisive in determining where the individual species can live best, the report continued.
For the study published in "Nature Communications", the researchers from Bern collaborated with the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). The study contains data on the populations of nine fish species in the entire catchment area of the Aare and Rhine.
This data was linked to numerous environmental factors, representing both natural and man-made influences. The results of the study were obtained with the help of "Explainable Artificial Intelligence".
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