Rivers of South America

Rivers of South America provides a baseline of information on the physical and chemical environment, and the biology of South American Rivers and the people living in their basins. The information is organized in 17 chapters, including an introduction and two final conclusive chapters. The other 14 chapters are dedicated to the main river basins. Each river basin chapter includes information on the history, physiography, clime, hydrology, biodiversity, ecological processes, environmental problems, information of management and conservation. The uniqueness of the book are the chapter boxes aiming the dissemination of key research carried in the basins and the reference research institutions (case studies). The book also identifies for the first-time conservation hotspots for riverine environment and is enriched with a large number of maps, photos, graphs and tables synthetizing the available information.

South America is the continent with the highest volume of flowing waters in the world, encompassing a high diversity of habitats and high general biodiversity. Fast population growth and demands for resources poses high pressure on rivers, threatening their biodiversity and ecological services. Rivers of South America provides comprehensive perspective of rivers, their environment, services, biodiversity, and cultural heritage. The information is important for aquatic ecologists, environmental authorities, local and national governments, academics NGOs and all interested in the preservation and management of flowing waters.