Abstract
Most rivers worldwide are highly regulated by anthropogenic activities through flow regulation and water pollution. Environmental flow regulation is used to reduce the effects of anthropogenic activities on aquatic ecosystems. Formulating flow alteration–ecological response relationships is a key factor in environmental flow assessment. Traditional environmental flow models are characterized by natural relationships between flow regimes and ecosystem factors. However, food webs are often altered from natural states, which disturb environmental flow assessment in such ecosystems. In ecosystems deteriorated by heavy anthropogenic activities, the effects of environmental flow regulation on species are difficult to assess with current modeling approaches. Environmental flow management compels the development of tools that link flow regimes and food webs in an ecosystem. Food web approaches are more suitable for the task because they are more adaptive for disordered multiple species in a food web deteriorated by anthropogenic activities. This paper presents a global method of environmental flow assessment in deteriorated aquatic ecosystems. Linkages between flow regimes and food web dynamics are modeled by incorporating multiple species into an ecosystem to explore ecosystem-based environmental flow management. The approach allows scientists and water resources managers to analyze environmental flows in deteriorated ecosystems in an ecosystem-based way.
Highlights
Ecological requirements should be addressed urgently to attain sustainability in water management and allocation [1]
Many restoration projects are focused on restoring environmental flows to improve the health of the aquatic ecosystems
The concept implies that aquatic ecosystems should be in a state in which habitat quality and biotic integrity are supported
Summary
Ecological requirements should be addressed urgently to attain sustainability in water management and allocation [1]. Water supply planners are proactively addressing the water needs of aquatic ecosystems by reserving environmental flows for ecosystems to prevent ecological damage [2]. Many restoration projects are focused on restoring environmental flows to improve the health of the aquatic ecosystems. Environmental ow recommendations represent the flow requirements intended to keep the ecosystem health at an acceptable level [3,4]. Environmental flows are defined as the quantity, timing, and quality of water flows required to sustain freshwater and estuarine ecosystems, as well as the human livelihood and well-being that depend on these ecosystems [5]. Environmental flow has become a major issue for integrated water resources management and has been advocated as a useful rehabilitation strategy for improving surface water biota [6]. Conservation of aquatic ecosystems is based on the implication of environmental flows, which drive aquatic ecosystems
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