Salmon in the Teno river system.© Mikko Kytökorpi Assessing the state of biodiversity in Arctic rivers and lakes 10 February 2022BiodiversityClimateConservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna The freshwater experts of the Arctic Council’s Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna Working Group (CAFF) have just released the largest compilation and assessment of Arctic freshwater biodiversity to date. CAFF experts release milestone assessment Published in a special issue of the scientific journal Freshwater Biology, the scientists from the eight Arctic States provide a holistic view of ongoing change in Arctic lakes, streams, and associated wetlands. The compendium presents the scientific analyses that underlie CAFF’s 2019 State of the Arctic Freshwater Biodiversity Report and offers important baseline information for future assessments and studies to better understand changing Arctic freshwater ecosystems. The special issue is available online free of cost. Arctic freshwater ecosystems are a lifeline for Arctic inhabitants and animal species across the circumpolar North. Wetlands, lakes and rivers are an important habitat for Arctic species, and provide drinking water, food, and several other cultural, provisional, and supporting ecosystem services to Arctic inhabitants. However, these services are at risk as raising water temperatures, glacier retreat and thawing permafrost threaten the biodiversity and health of freshwater ecosystems, and in turn, the well-being of the people relying on them.