Conservation evaluation of three Nigerian streams in different vegetation zones demonstrates why pristine freshwater ecosystems in the Afrotropics should be protected

Pristine freshwater ecosystems are becoming rarer globally, increasing the urgency of protecting sites of special conservation importance, particularly in regions where biological information is scarce. This short article describes how the aquatic macroinvertebrate-based Community Conservation Index (CCI) approach was used to assess the conservation value of three waterfall-dominated stream systems located in different vegetation zones of Nigeria. Samples were collected in the wet and dry seasons of 2020, showing that all three sites had very high conservation values (CCI > 20) in both time periods. The results provide a benchmark for similar evaluations in the region. The use of biological evaluations such as CCI can improve the way freshwater ecosystems are assessed in the Afrotropics, helping to identify streams that could become freshwater protected areas or Ramsar sites.