Integrating geomorphological tools to address practical problems in river management and restoration

Abstract

This chapter provides a framework within which geomorphic tools can be used, and presents examples of the application of tools to problems in river management and restoration. There are three identified common categories of conflicts in river restoration: among professionals, among stakeholder groups, and between professionals and local groups. In this environment, fluvial geomorphologists must encourage participatory planning and management to diagnose problems and propose solutions. A pre‐appraisal assessment may quantify bank stability and sediment transfer within a design or problem reach. One can distinguish a local, or bottom‐up strategy, at the scale of the local river basin or reach concerned, and a regional, or top‐down strategy, which prioritizes actions and monitors their efficiency. As part of a wider study of the sediment dynamics and physical habitat of the river Wylye, a geomorphological post‐project appraisal was undertaken on a range of rehabilitation schemes.