River Restoration

Abstract

River restoration is to regain the ecological integrity and enhance the human well-being by reestablishing the natural hydrologic, geomorphic, and ecological processes, in a self-sustainable manner by possibly, but not necessarily, referring to a pre-disturbance state. This chapter starts with an introductory part of the basic concepts and definitions of river restoration. Following, this chapter introduces an overview of a river in terms of the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics in conjunction with river restoration. Disturbances affecting the river and problems caused by such are briefly explained. For river restoration planning, the goals and objectives of river restoration, planning process, site assessment, and investigations are explained. For river restoration design, channel design, in-stream habitat structures, riverbank restoration, channel–floodplain connectivity, and riparian restoration are explained. Finally, the restoration implementation, monitoring, and adaptive management are then explained. This chapter mainly focuses on an ecological river restoration, excluding enhancements of the amenities or the aesthetic values of such a restoration. It also does not relate to the restoration of the river water quality, which is equally as important as the restoration of river itself.