DATA Knowledge and uses of freshwater mussels in Europe

Freshwater mussels (Order: Unionida; FM) have dramatically declined in Europe where most species now face extinction because of human activities. However, the general public may be completely unaware of the precarious conservation status of this animal group, but their opinion should be evaluated when designing conservation and recovery programs. Given the recent EU initiatives to restore freshwater ecosystems and the concerning decline of freshwater species, this lack of awareness poses a significant challenge for conservation efforts. With this aim, a total of 1102 interviews exploring FMs knowledge and use were carried out in four European regions encompassing a total of 10 different countries. Results evidenced differences between regions. These differences were related to human population and GDP growth, the percentage of rural population, being a visitor or a local, residing in populations higher than 1000 inhabitants and sex. Results have also shown that using FMs is mutually exclusive to being aware of threats they face. Due to the low awareness regarding the FMs threatened status, Southeastern Europe seems to be the most challenging region for successfully implementing conservation programs.