Across much of the industrialised world, rivers that were physically transformed and ecologically ruined to facilitate industrial and agricultural development are now the focus of restoration and rehabilitation efforts. River Futures discusses the emergence of this new era of river repair and documents a comprehensive biophysical framework for river science and management.
The book considers what can be done to maximise prospects for improving river health while maintaining or enhancing the provision of ecosystem services over the next fifty to one-hundred years. It provides a holistic overview of considerations that underpin the use of science in river management, emphasising cross-disciplinary understanding that builds on a landscape template.
River Futures frames the development of integrative river science and its application to river rehabilitation programs and develops a coherent set of guiding principles with which to approach integrative river science and management. The book considers what can be done to maximise prospects for improving river health while maintaining or enhancing the provision of ecosystem services over the next fifty to one-hundred years. It provides a holistic overview of considerations that underpin the use of science in river management, emphasising cross-disciplinary understanding that builds on a landscape template. The book:
Frames the development of integrative river science and its application to river rehabilitation programs
Develops a coherent set of guiding principles with which to approach integrative river science
Considers the application of cross-disciplinary thinking in river rehabilitation experiences from around the world
Examines the crossover between science and management, outlining issues that must be addressed to promote healthier river futures
Case studies explore practical applications in different parts of the world, highlighting approaches to the use of integrative river science, measures of success, and steps that could be taken to improve performance in future efforts.
River Futures offers a positive, practical, and constructive focus that directly addresses the major challenge of a new era of river conservation and rehabilitation—that of bringing together the diverse and typically discipline-bound sets of knowledge and practices that are involved in repairing rivers. It is a valuable resource for anyone involved in river restoration and management, including restorationists, scientists, managers, and policymakers, as well as undergraduate and graduate students.
"The content is clear and brilliantly structured. In an age of low-budget, quick-fix, rapid-response, cause-and-effect research, it is refreshing and encouraging to find a textbook that advocates a more considered, co-operative and consultative scientific approach to restoring healthy river systems."
Elizabeth A. Daley, Austral Ecology, Vol. 34 2009
Gary Brierley is a professor in the School of Geography, Geology, and Environmental Science at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
Kirstie Fryirs is a lecturer in the Department of Physical Geography at Macquarie University, Sydney.
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