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A new study that 86 per cent of the world's rivers have been by human activity. The study was by researchers from a university in Toulouse, France. They data on over 2,500 rivers around the world. They did not at rivers in the polar regions of the Arctic and Antarctica or in deserts. The scientists into changes to biodiversity over the past 200 years. They that biodiversity in over half of rivers has been seriously damaged by humans. The researchers said there many reasons for this damage. A big reason the introduction of new species of fish into rivers. Other reasons pollution, dams, overfishing, farming and climate change.

The researchers the worst-hit rivers are in western Europe and North America. This because these regions large and rich towns and cities. The lead researcher said: "Rivers which the most economic development around them, like the Mississippi River, the most strongly impacted." The River Thames in London was one of the worst-affected rivers in the study. The least-impacted rivers in Africa and Australia. The researcher : "This probably due to a slower rate of industrialisation in Africa and low population density around rivers in Australia." He that rivers in many rich nations are unrecognisable with how they were 200 years ago.