Building an eco-hydrological framework for the management of large river systems

Abstract

1.Rehabilitating degraded riverine landscapes in order to restore their ecosystem services require a scientific approach. The tasks include the development of methods for the assessment of ecological conditions and trends, for benchmarking of management alternatives and for the definition of ecological goals.2.The central challenge is to develop a coherent eco-hydrological research protocol analyzing the causal effects of hydrology on geomorphic processes and ecology.3.A major aspect is the formulation of ecological targets: historical reference conditions can be used to illustrate ecological deficiencies. However, at the planning and operational levels, they have to be substituted by a set of models which predict the responses towards management measures.4.Large scale restoration programmes should be accompanied by hypothesis-based research in order to analyze the effects of engineering measures and advance our understanding of river-floodplain ecology.5.A focus has to be the promotion of comprehensive management concepts, taking into account all concerned parties and assuring their active involvement. It is important to take advantage of management initiatives of various stakeholders, because governmental water policies rarely promote ecological improvement as a goal in itself.6.Institutional frameworks should be established with the mandate to develop large-scale and comprehensive rehabilitation concepts and guaranteeing transparent planning and decision processes. It is imperative that expert panels comprising of scientists, river-engineers, planners and managers are installed, with long-term mandates, clearly defined responsibilities and authority for decision making.