Uncertainty Surrounding the Ecological Targets and Response of River and Stream Restoration

Perrow, Martin R.; Skeate, Eleanor R.; Leeming, David J.; England, Judy; Tomlinson, Mark L.

doi:10.1002/9780470867082.ch8

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Importantly, it is difficult to predict the outcomes of some restoration actions, either because the expected outcome is a dynamic channel with a range of potential conditions, or because future climate change may alter driving processes in unforeseen ways. Nevertheless, even for restoration actions that are intended to restore dynamics, such as channel movement, restoration plans should at least predict the general range of possible outcomes (Perrow et al 2008.…”

Section: Be Explicit About Expected Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Process-based Principles for Restoring River Ecosystems

Beechie¹,

Sear²,

Olden³

et al. 2010

BioScience

634

493

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Process-based restoration aims to reestablish normative rates and magnitudes of physical, chemical, and biological processes that sustain river and floodplain ecosystems. Ecosystem conditions at any site are governed by hierarchical regional, watershed, and reach-scale processes controlling hydrologic and sediment regimes; floodplain and aquatic habitat dynamics; and riparian and aquatic biota. We outline and illustrate four process-based principles that ensure river restoration will be guided toward sustainable actions: (1) restoration actions should address the root causes of degradation, (2) actions must be consistent with the physical and biological potential of the site, (3) actions should be at a scale commensurate with environmental problems, and (4) actions should have clearly articulated expected outcomes for ecosystem dynamics. Applying these principles will help avoid common pitfalls in river restoration, such as creating habitat types that are outside of a site's natural potential, attempting to build static habitats in dynamic environments, or constructing habitat features that are ultimately overwhelmed by unconsidered system drivers.

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Section: Be Explicit About Expected Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Process-based Principles for Restoring River Ecosystems

Beechie¹,

Sear²,

Olden³

et al. 2010

BioScience

634

493

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…large vs small, ephemeral vs perennial, flashy vs baseflow). Biological traits and life-history strategies suited to arid conditions are evident in some species living in ephemeral rivers, such as having a dormant stage that remains viable in sediments during extended periods of low or no flow (Danks 2000), or rapid re-colonization ability (Perrow et al 2007(Perrow et al , 2008. Analysis of 80 BBM studies in South Africa suggested that rivers with naturally highly-variable flow regimes required a smaller proportion of total flow to maintain the river ecosystem than those with more stable regimes (Hughes and Hannart 2003).…”

Section: Flow-ecology Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The changing role of ecohydrological science in guiding environmental flows

Acreman

Overton

King

et al. 2014

Hydrological Sciences Journal

134

122

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The term "environmental flows" is now widely used to reflect the hydrological regime required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems, and the human livelihoods and well-being that depend on them. The definition suggests a central role for ecohydrological science to help determine a required flow regime for a target ecosystem condition. Indeed, many countries have established laws and policies to implement environmental flows with the expectation that science can deliver the answers. This article provides an overview of recent developments and applications of environmental flows on six continents to explore the changing role of ecohydrological sciences, recognizing its limitations and the emerging needs of society, water resource managers and policy makers. Science has responded with new methods to link hydrology to ecosystem status, but these have also raised fundamental questions that go beyond ecohydrology, such as who decides on the target condition of the ecosystem? Some environmental flow methods are based on the natural flow paradigm, which assumes the desired regime is the natural "unmodified" condition. However, this may be unrealistic where flow regimes have been altered for many centuries and are likely to change with future climate change. Ecosystems are dynamic, so the adoption of environmental flows needs to have a similar dynamic basis. Furthermore, methodological developments have been made in two directions: first, broad-scale hydrological analysis of flow regimes (assuming ecological relevance of hydrograph components) and, second, analysis of ecological impacts of more than one stressor (e.g. flow, morphology, water quality). All methods retain a degree of uncertainty, which translates into risks, and raises questions regarding trust between scientists and the public. Communication between scientists, social scientists, practitioners, policy makers and the public is thus becoming as important as the quality of the science. lois et des politiques de mise en oeuvre de débits environnementaux en espérant que la science peut fournir les réponses. Ce document donne un aperçu des développements et des applications récents de débits environnementaux sur les six continents dans le but d'explorer l'évolution du rôle des sciences éco-hydrologiques, en reconnaissant leurs limites et les nouveaux besoins de la société, des gestionnaires des ressources en eau et des décideurs politiques. La science a répondu par de nouvelles méthodes pour relier l'hydrologie à l'état des écosystèmes, mais à cette occasion des questions fondamentales ont été soulevées qui vont au-delà de l'éco-hydrologie, telles que : qui décide de l'état souhaité pour un écosystème ? Certaines méthodes de débits environnementaux sont basées sur le paradigme de l'écoulement naturel, ce qui suppose que le régime souhaité est la condition naturelle « non modifiée ». Cela peut être irréaliste là où les régimes d'écoulement ont été modifiés pendant de nombreux siècles et sont susceptibles d'évoluer avec le changement climatique ...

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Uncertainty Surrounding the Ecological Targets and Response of River and Stream Restoration

Cited by 2 publications

References 45 publications

Process-based Principles for Restoring River Ecosystems

Process-based Principles for Restoring River Ecosystems

The changing role of ecohydrological science in guiding environmental flows

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