Suchergebnisse

Stream restoration is currently a multi-billion dollar, nationwide enterprise enjoying the focus of numerous professional organizations, universities, policy, and citizen groups. The challenge of restoring damaged riverine ecosystems has driven interdisciplinary river science and policy as no other contemporary catalyst—but it hasn't always been that way. The earliest years of restoration, or more appropriately named "fish habitat manipulation" in Montana (and nationwide) evolved from "make-work" programs during the 1930's depression. Subsequent efforts in the 1960's and 1970's drew from that experience and traditional civil engineering, river mechanics. The Rosgen-based enterprise, initiated in the 1980's, spawned a new geomorphic approach to river restoration, brought fluvial geomorphology out of the closet, helped create the "river-restoration market", and ultimately provided incentives for academics to contribute to the current state of the art. Montana has both lagged and lead the nation in river restoration and preservation efforts. The Stream Protection Act of 1963 and Natural Streambed and Land Preservation Act of 1975 established permitting systems requiring integration of protection measures into stream alterations. The River Restoration Program (now known as Future Fisheries) enacted by the 1989 legislature recognized conservation of streams is of "vital social and economic importance to Montana" and established a funding for river and fishery restoration. Other programs including MTDEQ's 319 Program and DNRC's Loan and Grant Program provide additional funding sources. Montana has developed a vibrant river-restoration industry with over 30 Montana-based consultants and several University programs (MSU's Watercourse and UM's Center for Riverine Science) providing access to rapidly improving, cutting-edge science essential to effective stream restoration.

Climate change has brought to the forefront increasingly urgent concerns regarding future uncertainties, adaptation and risk in many countries. Flooding risks in the Netherlands however have been a high priority for decades. The Dutch Water Boards and other interested parties (other governments, NGO's, local farmers and private citizens) are attempting to deal with this new perceived vulnerability by increasing the resilience of the natural system, giving more space to the water and integrating as many interests into the new projects as possible, thus building stability and sustainability into the resulting system. The adaptive management strategies used to achieve this are comprised of taking a very broad perspective on the interests considered as compatible, deliberate adaptive project design to take advantage of different opportunities for improvements and alterations at different areas of the stream. Based on an existing framework of important governance regime characteristics, we add focus on one newly defined important quality: flexibility. Having both flexible and coherent governance regimes enables projects to meet local requirements and work towards a sustainable situation by synergetic win-win situations, constructive and cooperative planning and implementation and the development of a high level of trust. The paper illustrates and concludes that natural system resilience is dependent on such factors for providing governance system resilience.

Forestry and wood industry have formed a foundation for Finland's national economy, yet inevitably at the expense of aquatic environments. From 1940s to 1970s, to provide energy resources for the industry sector, majority of large rivers were dammed for hydropower, blocking off their longitudinal connectivity. Concurrently, majority of the stream channels were dredged to facilitate timber transportation from headwaters to downriver factories. While most large rivers remain blocked, the timber floating ceased in the 1980s, and legislation imposing restoration as well as intensive restoration programs have been established ever since. Habitat restoration has mostly been motivated by the enhancement of recreational fisheries through the provision of better living conditions for salmonids. The measures have included construction of in-stream structures, such as weirs, flow deflectors, boulder dams and gravel beds, and recently also installation of large wood. Based on before-after-restoration measurements of physical variables and habitat-hydraulic modeling, the measures have been effective in enhancing complexity of stream beds and hydraulic conditions, thus potentially increasing the availability of suitable habitat for juvenile brown trout. The increase in habitat heterogeneity has been persistent over time, and has also shown positive signs in functional processes of stream ecosystem. Nevertheless, overall substrate variability in restored streams has remained lower than in natural streams, especially with a shortage of gravel beds for brown trout spawning. Sound ecological monitoring of restoration projects has been limited in Finland. A few long term before-after-restoration monitoring of brown trout densities, together with a meta-analytical synthesis of all good-quality monitoring data, have indicated an overall positive effect on brown trout parr densities. Yet, the absolute juvenile brown trout density in post-management streams has mainly remained lower than in natural reference streams. In addition, brown trout responses have varied strongly between restored streams. The strong context-dependency in restoration outcomes is explained mainly by catchment scale (e.g. river basin size, dominant geology) and local (potential interspecific competition, fisheries management) factors. Among the local fisheries management measures, loosely restricted fishing has diluted the positive effects of restoration, and stocking by eggs and parr have either been ineffective or affected negatively brown trout's response to restoration. Stream-specific differences have also been observed in the delivery of ecosystem services, mainly reflecting stakeholder perceptions of landscape values and fish provisioning. Yet, stream restoration in its present form has a strong public acceptance in Finland, mainly because it is considered beneficial for recreationally important fish, ecotourism, and the well-being of local people. ; peerReviewed

Agriculture is widespread across the EU and has caused considerable impacts on freshwater ecosystems. To revert the degradation caused to streams and rivers, research and restoration efforts have been developed to recover ecosystem functions and services, with the European Water Framework Directive (WFD) playing a significant role in strengthening the progress. Analysing recent peer-reviewed European literature (2009–2016), this review explores 1) the conflicts and difficulties faced when restoring agriculturally impacted streams, 2) the aspects relevant to effectively reconcile agricultural land uses and healthy riverine ecosystems and 3) the effects and potential shortcomings of the first WFD management cycle. Our analysis reveals significant progress in restoration efforts, but it also demonstrates an urgent need for a higher number and detail of restoration projects reported in the peer-reviewed literature. The first WFD cycle ended in 2015 without reaching the goal of good ecological status in many European water-bodies. Addressing limitations reported in recent papers, including difficulties in stakeholder integration and importance of small headwater streams, is crucial. Analysing recent developments on stakeholder engagement through structured participatory processes will likely reduce perception discrepancies and increase stakeholder interest during the next WFD planning cycle. Despite an overall dominance of nutrient-related research, studies are spreading across many important topics (e.g. stakeholder management, land use conflicts, climate change effects), which may play an important role in guiding future policy. Our recommendations are important for the second WFD cycle because they 1) help secure the development and dissemination of science-based restoration strategies and 2) provide guidance for future research needs

This research is part of the SWITCH Project (Sustainable Water Management Improves Tomorrow's Cities' Health), which is coordinated by UNESCO and constitutes of a 32 institutions working net. Among these institutions are the Belo Horizonte Government (PBH) and Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG). One of the interventions conducted by PBH is the Drenurbs Program that aims at the restoration and environmental sanitation of municipal watersheds. Considering the importance of assessing the stream restoration interventions proposed by Drenurbs, the main objective of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of the results obtained by the Baleares creek restoration project in Belo Horizonte. The following assessment tools were used: (i) monitoring of water quality (physical and chemical parameters); and (ii) survey with the population in the watershed. Tools (i) were assessed in two distinct periods: pre-restoration (September 2003-November 2006) and postrestoration (February 2008- February 2009). The survey was done once in October 2008. The water quality results revealed a significant improvement in all assessed parameters between pre restoration and post restorations periods, besides a change in the patterns of the average seasonal concentrations of the monitored indicators. The survey indicated that the results of the intervention were well accepted by the population, with good perspectives in relation to the deployment of similar projects in other urban watersheds. However, the preference for a "sanitary avenue" is still relevant. The results could subsidize future assessments of the interventions realized by the Drenurbs in Baleares creek.

Green and blue infrastructure in cities -- Climate change : mitigation and adaptation strategies -- Environmental and ecological imbalances in dense urban areas -- Water in urban areas : ecological and environmental issues and strategies -- Ecosystem services in urban areas : social, environmental, and economic benefits -- Green and blue infrastructure : vegetated systems -- Green and blue infrastructure : unvegetated systems -- Urban river restoration -- Strategies and techniques : case studies -- Green and blue infrastructure top-down policies -- Bottom-up initiatives for green and blue infrastructure -- Selection of management practices and guidelines -- Opportunities and policies : case studies

"River restoration has expanded exponentially in the last three decades, with increased investment by government agencies, private developers, and NGOs. The available literature -- both scholarly works and government guidance manuals -- has grown proportionately, but has been almost entirely about ecological, hydrological, and geomorphological aspects of restoration. Yet the primary issues faced by many restoration programs have more to do with legal, economic, and institutional barriers and public perception and acceptance, than with physical and ecological constraints (though these can be formidable as well). Diverse issues such as the installation of habitat structures and replanting along a small creek by a local group, or a major program to restore complex habitat, a more natural flow regime, and sediment supply to a river below a dam, require an understanding of the social dimensions of river restoration projects. For anyone funding, permitting, planning, designing, or building river restoration projects, a concise, up-to-date, clearly organized treatment of the critical socio-economic issues relevant to river restoration will be a very useful asset. Most people involved in restoration projects (ecologists, engineers, landscape architects, hydrologists) lack a strong background in the social sciences. Increasingly however, these professionals understand that they must consider social dimensions. This book will fill a critical gap in their libraries summarizing how social approaches can contribute to river restoration projects and policies. The aim of this book is to present and synthesize understanding from recent advances in social sciences related to river restoration. It will cover not only supposedly "intangible" social phenomena -- such as ethics, culture and justice -- but also very tangible practical aspects -- including policy, governance, project management, decision making and stakeholder interactions -- to give a complete picture of the sometimes complex interaction of issues in river restoration."--

International audience ; Urban rivers are highly disturbed ecosystems. Indeed, urban rivers have been dammed and sometimes buried. The aim was to reduce the risk of flooding and solve health problems due to water pollution. In the mid-20th century, many cities have turned banks into parking. Cities and rivers were therefore separated due to urban development. Since the 1960s and 1970s, the water policy was to build or upgrade the wastewater treatment plants and water treatment plants. In Europe and North America, however, the legislation has evolved over the last fifteen years for increased and overall protection of aquatic ecosystems. The hydromorphological river restoration is now a priority of the new water policy in Europe. This is why cities are experimenting with today's renaturation projects of urban rivers: both territorial marketing and sustainable development. This article defines the concept of renaturation. The paper also presents two case studies: Quebec in Canada and Lyon in France to evaluate the advantages and limitations of this concept.

International audience ; Urban rivers are highly disturbed ecosystems. Indeed, urban rivers have been dammed and sometimes buried. The aim was to reduce the risk of flooding and solve health problems due to water pollution. In the mid-20th century, many cities have turned banks into parking. Cities and rivers were therefore separated due to urban development. Since the 1960s and 1970s, the water policy was to build or upgrade the wastewater treatment plants and water treatment plants. In Europe and North America, however, the legislation has evolved over the last fifteen years for increased and overall protection of aquatic ecosystems. The hydromorphological river restoration is now a priority of the new water policy in Europe. This is why cities are experimenting with today's renaturation projects of urban rivers: both territorial marketing and sustainable development. This article defines the concept of renaturation. The paper also presents two case studies: Quebec in Canada and Lyon in France to evaluate the advantages and limitations of this concept.

International audience ; Urban rivers are highly disturbed ecosystems. Indeed, urban rivers have been dammed and sometimes buried. The aim was to reduce the risk of flooding and solve health problems due to water pollution. In the mid-20th century, many cities have turned banks into parking. Cities and rivers were therefore separated due to urban development. Since the 1960s and 1970s, the water policy was to build or upgrade the wastewater treatment plants and water treatment plants. In Europe and North America, however, the legislation has evolved over the last fifteen years for increased and overall protection of aquatic ecosystems. The hydromorphological river restoration is now a priority of the new water policy in Europe. This is why cities are experimenting with today's renaturation projects of urban rivers: both territorial marketing and sustainable development. This article defines the concept of renaturation. The paper also presents two case studies: Quebec in Canada and Lyon in France to evaluate the advantages and limitations of this concept.

International audience ; Urban rivers are highly disturbed ecosystems. Indeed, urban rivers have been dammed and sometimes buried. The aim was to reduce the risk of flooding and solve health problems due to water pollution. In the mid-20th century, many cities have turned banks into parking. Cities and rivers were therefore separated due to urban development. Since the 1960s and 1970s, the water policy was to build or upgrade the wastewater treatment plants and water treatment plants. In Europe and North America, however, the legislation has evolved over the last fifteen years for increased and overall protection of aquatic ecosystems. The hydromorphological river restoration is now a priority of the new water policy in Europe. This is why cities are experimenting with today's renaturation projects of urban rivers: both territorial marketing and sustainable development. This article defines the concept of renaturation. The paper also presents two case studies: Quebec in Canada and Lyon in France to evaluate the advantages and limitations of this concept.

International audience ; Urban rivers are highly disturbed ecosystems. Indeed, urban rivers have been dammed and sometimes buried. The aim was to reduce the risk of flooding and solve health problems due to water pollution. In the mid-20th century, many cities have turned banks into parking. Cities and rivers were therefore separated due to urban development. Since the 1960s and 1970s, the water policy was to build or upgrade the wastewater treatment plants and water treatment plants. In Europe and North America, however, the legislation has evolved over the last fifteen years for increased and overall protection of aquatic ecosystems. The hydromorphological river restoration is now a priority of the new water policy in Europe. This is why cities are experimenting with today's renaturation projects of urban rivers: both territorial marketing and sustainable development. This article defines the concept of renaturation. The paper also presents two case studies: Quebec in Canada and Lyon in France to evaluate the advantages and limitations of this concept.

There are many sources of urban river degradation from channel straightening and culverting for flood control and development, to point and non-point source pollution, and altered flow regimes due to urbanization and increased impervious surfaces. In this study, we focus on the hydrologic impact of impervious surfaces in an urban watershed in the East Bay area. We used the Water Framework Directive (WFD), recent legislation in Europe, to understand how a watershed approach and systematic waterbody characterization can guide restoration efforts. Specifically, we applied the WFD to Sausal Creek Watershed and developed a conceptual restoration plan that incorporates watershed-scale low impact designs (LID) to restore a natural flow regime and in-stream restoration to enhance the physical habitat. We modeled the change in runoff due to urbanization, and calculated the total area required to mitigate for stormwater. Our results show a nearly two-fold increase in peak flow from pre-development to today. To mitigate for increased impervious surfaces 38-57% of the basin would need to drain to LID sites. We compared the cost of LID with the cost of in-stream restoration and found in-stream restoration of the entire three mile channel would be equivalent to treating one-sixth of the watershed with LID. Finally, we developed a short-term and long-term program of measures to restore Sausal Creek.