Restoration of Skjern River and its valley: Project description and general ecological changes in the project area

Pedersen, Morten Lauge; Andersen, Jens Møller; Nielsen, Kurt; Linnemann, Marianne

doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2006.06.009

Cited by 69 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Construction work is considered an important measure for the restoration of wetland ecosystems (Pedersen et al, 2007). It is imperative to take ecological engineering measures to impede Zoige Marsh degradation, because some parts of the marsh have been seriously damaged and are naturally irrecoverable.…”

Section: Ecological Engineeringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current status and future prospects of Zoige Marsh in Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Xiang

Guo

et al. 2009

Ecological Engineering

153

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Section: Ecological Engineeringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current status and future prospects of Zoige Marsh in Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Xiang

Guo

et al. 2009

Ecological Engineering

153

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“…Another important factor is the lack of agreed criteria for judging success . The restoration of River Skjern was no exception and restoration goals concerning hydromorphology were vaguely defined as the aim to "restore the physical and hydrological dynamics of the river and floodplain" (Pedersen et al, 2007a). We therefore choose to evaluate the hydromorphological outcome of the restoration on multiple scales in order to effectively determine if the restoration had allowed for a more dynamic and natural river.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, 25 years later the area had lost its agricultural value and in 1987 the Danish government initiated plans to restore the area. The restoration was conducted in 2000-2002 and resulted in the transformation of the lower 19 km of channelized river into 26 km of meandering river (Pedersen et al, 2007a). The short-term effect of the restoration on in-stream habitats, macrophytes and macroinvertebrates has previously been reported (Pedersen et al, 2007b), however, the longer-term effects are unknown.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The overall aim of this study was to evaluate the longer-term effects of restoring River Skjern, Denmark. This restoration project is the largest river restoration project in Northern Europe to date, aiming to enhance the nutrient retention capacity of the river by re-creating a natural hydrology in the river valley including reconnection of the river and the riparian wetlands and to enhance biodiversity by restoring the physical and hydrological dynamics of the river and the floodplain (Pedersen et al, 2007a). River Skjern is located in Western Denmark and drains a catchment of 2490 km 2 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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10 years after the largest river restoration project in Northern Europe: Hydromorphological changes on multiple scales in River Skjern

Kristensen

Kronvang

Wiberg‐Larsen

et al. 2014

Ecological Engineering

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a b s t r a c tThe lower river Skjern (Denmark) historically contained a large variation in habitats and the river ran through large areas with wetlands, many backwaters, islands and oxbow lakes. During the 1960s the river was channelized and the wetland drained. A restoration during 2001-2002 transformed 19 km of channelized river into 26 km meandering river. The short-term effects of this restoration have previously been reported and for this study we revisited the river and with new data evaluated the long-term (10 years) hydrological effects of the restoration. The evaluation was done on three different scales: (1) instream habitats, (2) channel stability and (3) re-connection with the floodplain. In-stream habitats had changed little over the past 10 years and the habitats today showed close similarity with the habitats recorded immediately after the restoration. Measurements of channel stability showed that erosion and sedimentation have changed the cross-sectional profiles over the last 10 years, resulting in a net input of sediment to the lower reaches of the river. However, the change of channel form was a slow process and predicted bank retreat over a 100 year period was only up to 6.8 m. Hence the formation of lost habitats (islands, backwaters and oxbow lakes) is a very slow process and the spontaneous development of these habitats will take centuries. Furthermore, the evaluation also showed that the restoration re-connected the river with its floodplain and large areas of riparian areas are today periodically flooded, but that the flooding is controlled and tamed due to the restoration design. The restoration of River Skjern has therefore failed to re-create the natural habitats formerly present and the natural dynamic processes that shape these habitats are slow. To speed up this process we therefore recommend restoration engineering using a natural guiding image when restoring lowland rivers in the future and through this restoring the lost habitats and the dynamic processes characteristic of natural rivers.

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“…Declining water quality on the global scale and increasing progress in the predictive potential of ecology and limnology (e.g. Vollenweider, 1965;Odum, 1969;Margalef, 1983Margalef, , 1994Tundisi and Matsumura Tundisi, 2008) provided the background for the development of ecological engineering (Mitsch, 1993;Tundisi and Straskraba, 1999;Mitsch and Jorgensen, 2004), restoration ecology (Aronson and Le Floc'h, 1996;Pedersen et al, 2007) and integrative sustainability science, i.e. Ecohydrology (EH) (Zalewski et al, 1997;Zalewski, 2000.…”

Section: Ecohydrology -The Terrestrial and Aquatic Dimensionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecohydrology for compensation of Global Change

Zalewski

2010

Braz. J. Biol.

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Water in the XXI century has become the primary factor for sustainable development, eradication of poverty and reversal of ecosystem degradation. Increasing water demand for agriculture and urbanisation, combined with pollution, eutrophication and amplification of the stochastic character of climatic processes, increases water limitations for ecosystems and societies. The transdisciplinary science of Ecohydrology, which has been developed in the framework of the International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO, provides a systemic approach, to regulate hydrology-ecosystemsociety interplay towards: 1) slowing down the transfer of water from the atmosphere to the sea, still considered as a priority to reduce the severity of floods and droughts impact; 2) reducing input and regulating the allocation of excess nutrients and pollutants to aquatic ecosystems, toward reversing ecosystems degradation and improvement of human well being; and 3) harmonisation of ecosystem potential with societal needs within the framework of IWRM.Keywords: ecohydrology, global change, catchment, dual regulation. Ecohidrologia como compensação às mudanças globais ResumoA Água no século XXI tornou-se o fator primordial para o desenvolvimento sustentável, a erradicação da pobreza e as iniciativas para reverter à degradação dos ecossistemas. O aumento da demanda de águas para a agricultura e urbanização, eutrofização e poluição e a amplificação do caráter estocástico dos processos climáticos aumenta o limite de água disponível para os ecossistemas e as sociedades. A ciência transdisciplinar da Ecohidrologia, que se desenvolve no arcabouço do Programa Hidrológico Internacional da UNESCO, proporciona uma abordagem sistêmica na regulação das interações hidrologia-ecossistema e sociedade. Esta abordagem dá-se através dos seguintes processos e ações: 1) iminuindo a transferência da água da atmosfera para os oceanos, considerando-se esta ação como prioridade para reduzir a severidade das enchentes e secas; 2) Reduzindo a eutrofização e poluição dos sistemas aquáticos continentais revertendo a degradação do ecossistema e melhorando o bem estar humano; e 3) Harmonização do potencial dos ecossistemas com as necessidades da sociedade no arcabouço do programa Gerenciamento Integradas de Recursos Hídricos.Palavras-chave: ecohidrologia, mudanças globais, bacia hidrográfica, regulação dupla.

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Restoration of Skjern River and its valley: Project description and general ecological changes in the project area

Cited by 69 publications

References 33 publications

Current status and future prospects of Zoige Marsh in Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Current status and future prospects of Zoige Marsh in Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

10 years after the largest river restoration project in Northern Europe: Hydromorphological changes on multiple scales in River Skjern

Ecohydrology for compensation of Global Change

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