Chapter 23 - European rivers: a personal perspective

Abstract

This final chapter to the second edition of “Rivers of Europe” gives my personal reactions on reading the final or advanced drafts of all the other chapters—something perhaps few other people will do. This is actually my second look since my colleague Bernhard Statzner and I together wrote a personal perspective on the first edition of the book in 2009. I have tried to look at the new book with fresh eyes and to rewrite this brief resume substantially, though also revisiting some of the points made last time (Hildrew and Statzner 2009). I looked at how far the book has changed—with a further decade of information—but also have to acknowledge that my own personal perspective has changed somewhat, in the light of more general developments and shifts in emphasis in the ecology and environmental science of rivers. As before, this perspective comes from the viewpoint of a river ecologist.