Gastropods in Small Water Bodies of the Western Balkans—Endangerments and Threats

The Balkan Peninsula is a vital part of Europe’s biodiversity in respect to freshwater gastropods and many of recorded taxa are stenobionts of narrow distribution. This chapter presents review of the freshwater gastropod fauna distribution in springs, small mountain streams (first order streams), and groundwaters of the Western Balkan and points to the main threats that influence the decline of diversity of this important group of aquatic organisms. Due to the complexity of the topic, small standing waters have not been considered here. The most significant threats to the diversity of freshwater gastropods in small streams are habitat degradation (physical destruction of habitats due to mini hydropower plants construction, hydro-technical works related to flood protection, faulty forest management excavation of material), and water abstraction. Knowledge of a considerable number of Balkan gastropod species, underlines the importance for the long-term conservation of biodiversity in this part of Europe.