2.0 Interactive Map of the World's Freshwater Regions

Two of the largest impending environmental problems are endangered ocean biodiversity and a dwindling supply of fresh water. Combine them and you have a real problem on your hands. A new project by WWF and The Nature Conservancy has cataloged the planets freshwater ecoregions for the purpose of better helping conservationists protect these vital areas.

Called Freshwater Ecoregions of the World, the project is a comprehensive map and database identifying 426 areas of unique aquatic biodiversity. The herculean research effort covers 18,000 species in all, including 13,400 fish, 4,000 amphibians, 300 turtles, and 20 crocodile species.

Freshwater ecosystems support over 100,000 species in total and are some of the most endangered and least studied areas on Earth. Those places that are studied tend to be on major rivers or in "hot spots." With this project, the groups hope to shed some light with a comprehensive, global view of these sensitive regions.

"Freshwater ecosystems are the least studied parts of our natural world – they are like vast unexplored libraries, brimming with information,” said World Wildlife Fund’s Robin Abell, the cuddly conservationist who headed the study. “Freshwater Ecoregions of the World allows scientists and non-scientists alike to gain a better understanding of this world and help guide efforts to save these systems and species before they are lost.”

Human water usage for industry, consumption, and agriculture has put the species and habitats of 55 ecoregions under high stress, with another 59 that having already had 1/2 their area converted to development.

The FEOW website has a great interactive tool that let's you zoom in, pan around, and click on each region to find out more. Other maps have information the density and types of different species. Maybe the coolest feature is the ability to download theecoregions into GIS and Google Earth.