In an international collaboration published in Global Change Biology, we investigated the importance of groundwater as a key global ecosystem. Groundwater plays a central role in the global water cycle, harbors a unique biodiversity and provides important ecosystem services such as clean drinking water. However, it is under increasing pressure and is often neglected in nature conservation. Our assessments show that groundwater interacts with more than half of the land surface. It is therefore essential to recognize its interconnected nature and pursue holistic approaches to groundwater protection. We propose eight concrete steps for a scientific and political agenda to protect groundwater and combat the loss of its biodiversity.

The Conversation published an article on the publication: https://theconversation.com/we-rely-heavily-on-groundwater-but-pumping-too-much-threatens-thousands-of-underground-species-218919