Center for Species Survival: Freshwater  

A Global Partnership

Shedd Aquarium has teamed up with the Species Survival Commission of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN SSC) to become the first designated Center for Species Survival with a focus only on freshwater. Shedd was chosen as a host, in part, because of the ability to blend our diverse conservation portfolio with the extraordinary ability to reach people authentically and effectively to understand, appreciate and act on behalf of freshwater ecosystems.



Centers for Species Survival are partnerships between leading conservation institutions and the IUCN SSC — a Commission that is made up of more than 8,300 conservationists worldwide. This designation will empower Shedd to advance its ongoing freshwater conservation efforts to:

A Focus on Freshwater

Despite covering only about 0.8 percent of the Earth’s surface, freshwater habitats support a disproportionately large amount of unique aquatic life – more than 10 percent of all known animals and about 50 percent of all fish species on the planet. More broadly, research indicates that freshwater ecosystems provide several critical services for our planet – supporting food production, human health, water purification, climate regulation and more.  

These same vital freshwater systems are the most imperiled ecosystems on the planet and face a growing list of challenges like pollution, habitat loss, overexploitation, fragmentation (e.g., dams and culverts) and the climate crisis. Shedd Aquarium’s Center for Species Survival: Freshwater elevates awareness of threats to freshwater habitats across the globe to help combat the current trend of freshwater biodiversity loss, which will benefit animals, plants and humans alike.   

“Now, more than ever, we cannot fall behind the curve on how we look at addressing threats to freshwater, said Ian Harrison, co-chair of the IUCN SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee. “This requires collaboration and resources, focused where we know we can have the best effect. The addition of Shedd Aquarium to IUCN SSC’s global network of partners will be extremely important in addressing these most urgent needs and will help us conserve ecologically and culturally iconic species.”  

Shedd’s collaborative work focuses on critical watersheds in Central America, where aquatic wildlife populations are at risk of extinction. Leveraging the aquarium’s existing portfolio of freshwater research, one attention area for the Shedd will be on freshwater mussels — animals that face the highest level of threat on the planet. Shedd is replicating its ongoing freshwater mussels research, currently conducted throughout the Midwest, and scaling it across key areas of Central America — including El Salvador, Costa Rica and Guatemala.

Shedd’s work has also expanded to include complementary surveying of freshwater fishes via a partnership with Chicago’s Field Museum.  

Conservation Through Collaboration

Shedd recognizes that protecting our planet must be done through partnership and collaboration.

Using tools produced by IUCN, Shedd is working alongside local collaborators to assess potential extinction threats, identify key biodiversity areas and train local partners to build capacity for this work to sustain it within the region. 

Our work with in-country stakeholders including conservation organizations, universities, government agencies, and students is intentional to ensure that these conservation endeavors are done equitably and built to last.

Shedd is also proud to work in partnership with iconic Chicago conservation and science institutions like the Field Museum and The Morton Arboretum to maximize our impact and make key connections between aquatic and terrestrial conservation.

The new Center for Species Survival: Freshwater is being funded by the Walder Foundation, a private family foundation based in Skokie, Illinois, focused in part on funding work in environmental sustainability.