The Spatial Discrepancy Between Colombian Freshwater Fish Suitable Habitats and Existing Protected Areas

ABSTRACT Aim The increasing anthropogenic pressures on freshwater biodiversity raise the important question: how well is it represented within protected areas? We address this question using the freshwater fish fauna of a neotropical biodiversity hotspot to estimate (i) how the fish fauna is covered by the existing protected areas and (ii) to which degree alternative protected area configurations may have the potential to increase the number of fish species under protection. Location Colombia and neighbouring countries. Methods We first compiled 238,278 geographic occurrences for 1313 freshwater fish species and cleaned the species data by harmonising the nomenclature and revising the geo‐referenced coordinates. Using the GMTED‐digital elevation model, we delineated a stream network and extracted the corresponding 38,150 sub‐catchments that served as spatial units for the analysis. We then employed ensemble species distribution modelling to project potentially suitably habitats of single fish species across the study area. Finally, we used spatial prioritisation analyses, specifically integer linear programming to account for 30% of each fish suitable habitat within newly‐delineated priority areas, that is, hypothetical protected areas. Results We found that the newly‐delineated priority areas overlap only by 25.2% with the existing protected areas. Strikingly, the required amount of area for protection is similar to that of the existing protected areas, reflecting, however, a major spatial mismatch between the two. Moreover, we found that endemic and threatened species, especially in the Magdalena‐Cauca and Pacific‐Choco basins, contributed towards the newly‐delineated priority areas that would be integral for an efficient freshwater fish protection in this region. Main Conclusions Our results highlight the high discrepancy between freshwater biodiversity conservation and protected areas in Colombia and guide the integration of those areas with high ecological value yet reduced anthropogenic impact.