VTEI / stone crayfish

stone crayfish

Environmental objectives and aquatic environment limits for stone crayfish

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The stone crayfish (Austropotamobius torrentium) is a critically endangered species listed on the Red List of Invertebrates of the Czech Repub-lic. It is protected under Decree No. 395/1992 Coll. and designated as a priority species according to Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats, wild fauna, and flora. It is generally assumed that stone crayfish requires water quality that meets at least the emission limits for salmonid waters as defined by Government Regulation No. 71/2003 Coll., as amended, and also by Government Regula-tion No. 401/2015 Coll., as amended. Stable and abundant populations, however, require stricter environmental objectives, both in terms of limit values and the range of monitored parameters. To establish these objectives, 14 sites were selected. These sites are either unaffected or only slightly influenced by human activities, with confirmed current occurrence of stone crayfish or historical presence where disappearance was probably due to crayfish plague.

The jewels of our running waters and their protection

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Freshwater ecosystems are among the most threatened habitats in the world [1]. This is the result of many factors that, individually and in combination, directly affect the degradation of freshwater ecosystems. The biggest problem for these habitats is climate change. Its consequence is drying up, as well as many anthropogenic negative impacts, such as eutrophication, drainage, introduction of invasive species, and overall environmental degradation [1]. Given these facts, species inhabiting sensitive aquatic environments are among the most endangered plant and animal species in the world.