River Conservation and Management

About this book

River Conservation and Management is intended for those with an academic, scientific and practical interest in river conservation and management. It provides an overview of how changes in legislation, policies, institutional responsibilities, science, technology, practical techniques and public perception have influenced how rivers have been managed over the past 20 years and the challenges that lie ahead during the next 20 years.

River Conservation and Management is based on the international conference "River Conservation and Management: 20 Years On" held at York. Thirty-one chapters, with contributions from North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australasia provide a wide-ranging perspective on this complex but profoundly important subject.

Following an introduction that chronicles the most important contextual changes, River Conservation and Management is organized into four broad topics:

- Catchment management, ecosystem integrity and the threats to river ecosystems – this covers progress on understanding and addressing the pressures affecting rivers, many of which will be amplified by climate change and increasing human demands for water
- Methods and approaches – illustrating some recent techniques that have been developed to assess condition and conservation status across different types of river
- Recovery and rehabilitation – providing an insight into the principles, practice, public involvement and institutional networks that support and make improvements to modified river reaches
- Integrating nature conservation into wider river management – demonstrating the importance of integrated planning, involvement of local communities and the use of adaptive management in achieving multiple environmental and economic benefits along rivers used for different purposes.

The final chapter discusses the challenges faced in dealing with an uncertain future. More than 1200 different references and numerous web-site citations provide the reader with an invaluable source of knowledge on the subject area.

Contents

Contents
List of Contributors ix
Preface xiii
Acknowledgements xix

Introduction
1 Revisiting the Case for River Conservation 3
Catchment Conservation, Ecosystem Integrity and Threats to River Systems
2 From Channel to Catchment: A 20-Year Journey for River Management in England and Wales 17
3 The Rivers and Streams of England and Wales: An Overview of their Physical Character in 2007-2008 and Changes Since 1995-1996 29
4 Environmental Flow Allocation as a Practical Aspect of IWRM 45
5 Assessing the Hydrological Effects of Forest Plantations in Brazil 59
6 In the Indus Delta it is No More the Mighty Indus 69
7 A 20-Year View of Monitoring Ecological Quality in English and Welsh Rivers 79
8 Water Quality and Exurbanization in Southern Appalachian Streams 91
9 Understanding and Managing Climate Change Effects on River Ecosystems 107
10 Scotland's Freshwater Pearl Mussels: The Challenge of Climate Change 121

Methods and Approaches
11 Can Mediterranean River Plants Translate into Quality Assessment Systems? Venturing into Unexplored Territories 135
12 The Use of Bryophytes for Fluvial Assessment of Mountain Streams in Portugal 143
13 Improvements in Understanding the Contribution of Hyporheic Zones to Biodiversity and Ecological Functioning of UK Rivers 159
14 Taxonomic Distinctness as a Measure of Diversity of Stream Insects Exposed to Varying Salinity Levels in South-Eastern Australia 175
15 Development of a Systematic, Information-Based Approach to the Identification of High Value Sites for River Conservation in New Zealand 183
16 Assessing the Conservation Status of Alder-Ash Alluvial Forest and Atlantic Salmon in the Natura 2000 River Network of Cantabria, Northern Spain 193
17 The Use of Palaeoecological Techniques to Identify Reference Conditions for River Conservation Management 211

Recovery and Rehabilitation
18 The Espace de Liberte and Restoration of Fluvial Process: When Can the River Restore Itself and When Must we Intervene? 225
19 Multi-Purpose, Interlinked and Without Barriers: The Emscher River Ecological Concept 243
20 Rehabilitation of the River Skerne and the River Cole, England: A Long-Term Public Perspective 249
21 The Unnatural History of the River Trent: 50 Years of Ecological Recovery 261
22 Key Factors in the Management and Conservation of Temporary Mediterranean Streams: A Case Study of the Pardiela River, Southern Portugal 273
23 The History, Development, Role and Future of River Restoration Centres 285

Integrating Nature Conservation Within Wider River Management
24 From Stockholm to Rio II: The Natural and Institutional Landscapes Through Which Rivers Flow 297
25 What Have Rivers Ever Done For Us? Ecosystem Services and River Systems 313
26 The Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program: Progress and Immediate Challenges 325
27 An Individual-Based Model of Swan-Macrophyte Conflicts on a Chalk River 339
28 Integrating Habitat Conservation with Amenity and Recreational Uses Along an Urban Stretch of the Adige River, Northern Italy 345
29 A River in Crisis: The Lower River Murray, Australia 357
30 The Nevis River: An Example of River Conservation in the New Zealand Context 371

Dealing With an Uncertain Future
31 Current and Future Challenges in Managing Natural System Variability for River Conservation in European River Basins 383

Index 403

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