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Although river protection is core to social and environmental well-being, the extent to which river conservation policies are effective is difficult to assess. This study reveals that, under all relevant protection mechanisms in the contiguous USA, only 12% of rivers are adequately protected.

Aquatic insects such as mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies are widely used for freshwater biomonitoring and could provide resource pulses to terrestrial insectivores. Here the authors show a positive relationship between the species richness of these insects and the prevalence of riparian birds across the conterminous USA.

Human and environmental water needs can come into conflict in dam-regulated river systems. Here, Chen and Olden investigate the potential for the use of fish–flow modeling to make recommendations for the management of native and nonnative fish species whilst providing water for society.

River protection in the United States remains scant, with just over one-tenth of river length in the contiguous states protected at viable levels, often by land-based protection measures that fail to capture the full diversity of the nation’s river systems. There is an urgent need for policies that safeguard, strengthen and expand freshwater protections to secure rivers that sustain both people and nature.

Extreme events — such as floods, droughts and heatwaves — are escalating in frequency, magnitude and duration. This Review discusses the implications of these global changes for biodiversity in rivers, across population, community and ecosystem scales.

Defining non-native populations is essential yet challenging in freshwater systems, where policy relies on administrative borders and science on ecological units. This mismatch complicates regulation, risk assessment and biosecurity. We propose a basin-first, population-level classification that distinguishes intrabasin from interbasin nativity to better support coherent, ecologically grounded policy and management.

To understand how species will cope with warming, knowledge of the thermal limits is needed. This study estimates 2,960 ray-fin fish species’ thermal sensitivity. Comparison with projected warming highlights vulnerable freshwater and marine regions.

As the climate warms, we can’t restore waterways to pristine condition, but models can predict potential changes, argue Jonathan D. Tonkin, N. LeRoy Poff and colleagues.

Globalization facilitates the spread of invasive alien species, while environmental change can ease invasion. Here, Early et al. identify vulnerable regions globally and evaluate capacity in vulnerable countries to prevent invasions arising from sources such as air travel, horticulture, and pet trade.

Hydrologic data collected from river gauges inform critical decisions for allocating water resources, conserving ecosystems and predicting the occurrence of droughts and floods. The current global river gauge network is biased towards large, perennial rivers, and strategic adaptations are needed to capture the full scope of rivers on Earth.

Small hydropower plants are increasingly favoured. This study finds that these plants are decreasing river connectivity in Brazil more than larger dams, potentially harming migratory fish, and suggests future dam portfolios that result in less river fragmentation while delivering similar power.

A compilation of 4,476 riverine fish community time series is used to identify trends in community composition and species abundance and richness over several decades. Spatial heterogeneity in the trends is linked to the timing and strength of anthropogenic pressures, including the introduction of non-native species.

Large-scale invasive species control initiatives are motivated by laudable desires for native species recovery and economic benefits, but they are not without risk. Management interventions and policies should include evidence-based risk–benefit assessment and mitigation planning.

Climatic change and human control over river flow are likely to affect aquatic species distributions. Here, the authors model alterations to natural flow regimes and show that even small modifications can have consequences for the structure of riparian plant networks.

Coal is an important energy source, but its use affects regional air quality and global climate. This study finds that coal mining reduces the diversity and number of stream animals and that these impacts persist after mine reclamation efforts.

Freshwater resources sustain ecosystems and societies, so reliable monitoring is critical. This study finds that streamgaging data reporting has declined worldwide since 1979, and that variation in monitoring threatens many US river basins.

This Review examines methods for mapping river barriers, emphasizing the potential consequences of a lack of data on smaller barriers. It highlights the need for improved mapping approaches to support effective water management

This Perspective presents a wetting regime framework that is classified by dominant hydrologic mechanisms and highlights the resulting responses of stream biogeochemistry and community ecology.

Hydropower is a renewable energy source that can contribute to growing energy demands. This Review considers the ecological consequences of hydropower plants on riverine systems and emphasizes the urgent need to mitigate ecological impacts to ensure sustainable development.