Abstract

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD; European Commission 2000) introduced a new focus in river management by putting the protection and restoration of the aquatic environment as a key issue on the water policy agenda. This expanded emphasis on restoration activities reflects global efforts to make river management more sustainable by better integrating policy and science to harmonize engineering, ecological, and social concerns in governing river basins. Over the last 20–30 years, several management frameworks such as Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) or adaptive management (AM) have been developed in a series of separate, parallel experiments to achieve these goals. While specific details may vary, most of these management lineages converged on broadly common ways to sustainably manage natural resources and human activities in river basins in an integrated, interdisciplinary approach. The need to put restoration and conservation activities in a social context is increasingly considered mandatory in recent management programs (see Chap. 16).

Highlights

  • The European Water Framework Directive (WFD; European Commission 2000) introduced a new focus in river management by putting the protection and restoration of the aquatic environment as a key issue on the water policy agenda

  • The approximately 9.5 km long restored river section replaces an artificial canal rather than a former natural and later channelized river reach. Considering these framework conditions, the project can be seen as a large field observatory that helps to investigate pending research questions

  • Considerable progress has been made in river restoration activities—in terms of (1) more integrative approaches to planning, implementation, monitoring, and adaptive revision of policies and practices, giving higher attention to stakeholder participation; (2) type and dimension of restoration measures, which have been implemented; as well as (3) increasing awareness of the importance of monitoring programs

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Summary

15.1 Introduction

The European Water Framework Directive (WFD; European Commission 2000) introduced a new focus in river management by putting the protection and restoration of the aquatic environment as a key issue on the water policy agenda This expanded emphasis on restoration activities reflects global efforts to make river management more sustainable by better integrating policy and science to harmonize engineering, ecological, and social concerns in governing river basins. River restoration refers to a large variety of measures addressing as key components the morphology and hydrology of rivers as well as measures linked to land use practices and spatial planning Often such approaches are packaged as bundles of measures directed toward a self-sustaining status by promoting multiple functions and services of river systems in support of biodiversity, recreation, flood management, and landscape development (ECRR 2016). The term “restoration” will be used to refer to any of the above addressed activities

15.2 Guiding Principles for River Restoration
15.2.1 The Riverine Landscape Perspective
15.2.2 Process-Orientated Versus Static Approaches
15.2.3 Setting Goals and Benchmarks for River Restoration
15.2.4 Socio-political Forces That Restore River Basins
15.3 Comprehensive Restoration Planning
15.4 Restoration Measures
15.5.1 River Restoration Drava
15.5.2 River Restoration “Traisen”
15.6 Conclusions
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