Innovative approaches in river management and restoration

Abstract

How research interacts with applications in river management and restoration is a critical question within the Anthropocene era. Improved knowledge regarding the socio-ecological effects of river management and restoration is therefore needed to establish compromises between water uses and riverine ecosystem requirements. This special issue tackles how river management and restoration activities have recently evolved to target cost-efficient and more integrated measures. Some of the contributions showed monitoring feedbacks provide lessons to improve river status and assess success of restoration activities. The range of success indicators considered is continually widening, including more social factors in addition to existing ecological ones. Moreover, win-win and adaptative strategies are also explored to make restoration projects successful and more appreciated by people. Upscaling approaches

Evaluation of hydropower projects in Balkan Rivers based on direct sediment transport measurements; challenges, limits and possible data interpretation – Case study Vjosa River/Albania

“…anthropogenic uses, such as (a) drinking water supply, (b) power supply, (c) flood protection, (d) tourism and (e) navigation (Habersack & Walling, 2013;Piégay, Cottet, & Lamouroux, 2020;Schiemer, Drescher, Hauer, & Schwarz, 2018). In order to meet the various human demands, rivers have undergone significant anthropogenic changes over recent centuries, with a loss of up to 90% of their floodplain area, compared to the original extent documented for Central and Southern Europe (e.g., the Rhine, Po, and Danube) (Drescher, 2018).…”

Hydrogeomorphology as a Tool in the Evolutionary Analysis of the Dynamic Landscape—Application to Larrodrigo, Salamanca, Spain

“…For this purpose, high-density LiDAR points and different remote sensing techniques, such as aerial photogrammetry, were used. This analysis also included morphometric variables that account for the fluvial dynamics of the system, such as the distribution of heights and slopes, relief ratios, and the sinuosity of the main stream [30][31][32].…”

The form evolution and environmental adaptaion of villages along a river: A case study of the dong villages in the Gaojin‐Bazhai Valley

“…At the same time, we should also support the construction of the internal water system. Traditional water systems should be preserved, while new tools for their economic viability should be designed to establish acceptable compromises between water uses and riverine ecosystem requirements (Piégay, Cottet, & Lamouroux, 2020). Water quality and flood control monitoring techniques should also be introduced to ensure water security within settlements (Poledniková & Galia, 2020).…”