A framework for river restoration planning : considering conceptual and structural perspectives from case studies of the Liao River in China and the Kalgan River in Australia

Over the last decade, restoration ecology has been considered a new paradigm for dealing with many of the environmental problems of river systems. It is also recognized that management decisions have a greater chance of being successful if they are based on a thorough understanding of a concept or a plan. A review of current studies on river restoration and river restoration planning revealed that managers and scientists have put a substantial emphasis on ecological science and technology in restoration, while many sociopolitical and economic elements have been de-emphasized Besides this, understanding and experiences of river restoration, especially those of river managers and communities, is not well known so far. This study commenced with the development of a framework for river restoration planning, based on a review of current knowledge of river restoration and planning processes. The framework was then used as an instrument to be compared with the understanding and experiences of river managers in two different countries. The aim of this study was to highlight the differences in acceptability of river restoration and river restoration planning between two different river systems in two different countries, and develop a framework for river restoration planning that includes these differences. Using a heuristic inquiry, administrators responsible for two rivers, the Kalgan River in southwest Western Australia and the Liao River in northeast China, were interviewed to test if managers have comparable understandings of river restoration. This study revealed that the understanding of the river restoration concept among never managers who participated in this research is influenced by socio-political, economic and ecological perspectives. For example, in Australia, managers see river restoration according to the kind of ecological benefits people will derive from it. To maintain the sustainable development of the river system is the main goal of river restoration In contrast. In China, river managers would like to put more efforts on maintaining the balance between social, economic and ecological development, although, in the short term, pollution control is the first crucial step for river management. The study also indicated that planning is influenced by different understandings of the concept of river restoration, by the existing administrative structures for river management, and by public participation in river management planning. For example, public participation plays an important role in river restoration planning in Australia, while in China, public participation was not considered appropriate or practical in the formulation of a plan even though more and more managers recognize its need and significance. The final result of this study, a framework for river restoration planning, will supply some basic management guidelines for river managers. Future research can be conducted by using data from a project river to put the results of this study into practice, where case studies can be examined to test the robustness of the framework

Overcoming the dichotomy of implementing societal flood risk management while conserving instream fish habitat – A long-term study from a highly modified urban river

Flood Risk Management (FRM) is often essential to reduce the risk of flooding to properties and infrastructure in urban landscapes, but typically degrades the habitats required by many aquatic animals for foraging, refuge and reproduction. This conflict between flood risk management and biodiversity is driven by conflicting directives, such as the EU Floods and Water Framework Directives, and has led to a requirement for synergistic solutions for FRM that integrate river restoration actions. Unfortunately, ecological monitoring and appraisal of combined FRM and river restoration works is inadequate. This paper uses a case study from the River Don in Northern England to evaluate the effects of the FRM and subsequent river restoration works on instream habitat and the associated fish assemblage over an 8-year period. Flood risk management created a homogeneous channel but did not negatively affect fish species composition or densities, specifically brown trout. Densities of adult brown trout were comparable pre and post-FRM, while densities of juvenile bullhead and brown trout increased dramatically post FRM. River restoration works created a heterogeneous channel but did not significantly improve species composition or brown trout density. Species composition post-river restoration works returned to that similar to pre-FRM over a short-term period, but with improved numbers of juvenile bullhead. Although habitat complexity increased after river restoration works, long-term changes in species composition and densities were marginal, probably because the river reset habitat complexity within the time framework of the study

Integrated planning framework for successful river restoration projects: upscaling lessons learnt from European case studies

Despite considerable investment in river restoration projects, there is still limited information on the efficacy and success of river restoration activities. One of the main reasons is poor or improper project design, resulting in common problems such as: not addressing the root cause of habitat degradation; not establishing reference conditions, benchmarks and not defining endpoints against which to measure success; inappropriate uses of common restoration techniques because of lack of pre-planning; and inadequate monitoring or appraisal of restoration projects. In this paper peer-reviewed and grey literature and a large database of existing case studies were reviewed to identify the prevailing challenges river managers face when planning and developing river restoration projects. To overcome these current challe nges an integrated project planning framework has been developed that incorporates adaptive management and project management techniques. It encapsulates key concepts and decision support tools to advance the existing sequence of project identification, project formulation, project implementation and post-project monitoring to incorporate multidisciplinary decision making to meet specific environmental and socio-economic objectives. The proposed river restoration project planning framework is adaptable and can therefore be applied to any project development scenario locally, regionally or internationally

Integrating Ecohydraulics in River Restoration: Advances in Science and Applications

Rivers have been intensively degraded due to increasing anthropogenic impacts from a growing population in a continuously developing world. Accordingly, most rivers suffer from pressures as a result of increasing dam and weir construction, habitat degradation, flow regulation, water pollution/abstraction, and the spread of invasive species. Science-based knowledge regarding solutions to counteract the effects of river degradation, and melding principles of aquatic ecology and engineering hydraulics, is thus urgently needed to guide present and future river restoration actions. This Special Issue gathers a coherent set of studies from different geographic contexts, on fundamental and applied research regarding the integration of ecohydraulics in river restoration, ranging from field studies to laboratory experiments that can be applied to real-world challenges. It contains 13 original papers covering ecohydraulic issues such as river restoration technologies, sustainable hydropower, fish passage designs and operational criteria, and habitat modeling. All papers were reviewed by international experts in ecology, hydraulics, aquatic biology, engineering, geomorphology, and hydrology. The papers herein well represent the wide applicability of ecohydraulics in river restoration and serve as a basis to improve current knowledge and management and to reduce arguments between different interests and opinions