From analysis made through IUCN 2010 Red List assessments, south-east Australia was highlighted as one of the most threatened regions for crayfish species, with almost half of all species threatened with extinction. The most significant threats to these species were climate change and severe weather events, and habitat degradation and loss; while in North America habitat degradation and loss were considered a major threat, along with pollution, particularly sedimentation from land-use change. Multiple threats were found to European species with equal impacts from invasive species, pollution, and habitat degradation and loss. Madagascar was the only region in which harvesting was considered a principal threat; its impacts, though, were found to be compounded by the increasing affect of habitat fragmentation, and the long-lived nature of some of these species.

Strayer & Dudgeon (2010) have reviewed recent progress in the conservation of freshwater biodiversity. Important challenges for freshwater conservation include climate change and further freshwater extinctions, and these authors join with other voices in urging that scholarly societies, scientists, conservationists and other stakeholders must concentrate on disseminating information on conservation ecology if the world’s fresh waters are not to be dramatically impoverished.