Using the River Habitat Survey method in forecasting effects of river restoration

Kiraga, Marta; Popek, Zbigniew

doi:10.2478/sggw-2014-0011

Cited by 4 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…It is likely that in the long run the self-restoration of the dredged river stretches analyzed may result in the re-establishment of hydromorphological conditions by allowing the re-development of macroinvertebrate abundance and species composition toward the reference values reported for non-dredged stretches [19,20]. However, if long headwater parts of these rivers remain under the pressure of dredging every 1-3 years (which is the case of analyzed and adjacent rivers), it is likely that the spontaneous restoration of macroinvertebrate populations of the whole river systems may be-if still possible-very slow.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural Rivers at Risk: Dredging Results in a Loss of Macroinvertebrates. Preliminary Observations from the Narew Catchment, Poland

Grygoruk

Frąk

Chmielewski

2015

Water

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Ecosystem deterioration in small lowland agricultural rivers that results from river dredging entails a significant threat to the appropriate ecohydrological conditions of these water bodies, expressed as homogenization of habitats and loss of biodiversity. Our study was aimed at a comparison of abundance and taxonomic structure of bottom-dwelling macroinvertebrates in dredged and non-dredged stretches of small lowland rivers and tributaries of the middle Narew River, namely: Czaplinianka, Turośnianka, Dąb, and Ślina. The experimental setup was (1) to collect samples of the bottom material from the river stretches that either persisted in a non-modified state (dredging was not done there in the last few years) or had been subjected to river dredging in the year of sampling; and (2) to analyze the abundance and taxonomic structure of macroinvertebrates in the collected samples. The study revealed that at the high level of statistical significance (from p = 0.025 to p = 0.001), the total abundance of riverbed macroinvertebrates in the dredged stretches of the rivers analyzed was approximately 70% lower than in non-dredged areas. We state that the dredging of small rivers in agricultural landscapes seriously affects their OPEN ACCESSWater 2015, 7 4512 ecological status by negatively influencing the concentrations and species richness of benthic macroinvertebrates.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Agricultural Rivers at Risk: Dredging Results in a Loss of Macroinvertebrates. Preliminary Observations from the Narew Catchment, Poland

Grygoruk

Frąk

Chmielewski

2015

Water

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“…Raven et al [17] conducted a comparative study in order to provide the European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) with technical guidance for establishing a standard for assessing the hydromorphological features of rivers [1, 16,[18][19][20][21][22][23]. Several methods for characterizing the physical structure of rivers and assessing habitat quality have been independently developed across Europe since the early 1990s [15,17,[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The RHS method is also commonly used for river ecological valorization in Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, and Latvia. In a modified form [39,45] it was used in Italy, Greece, and Poland, mainly in scientific research [21,47], and also in Spain for hydrographic basin management purposes [48]. The comparison of RHS and other habitat assessment methods has also been part of this European wide initiative [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision Support Tools for River Restoration: The Implementation of the “River Habitat Survey” Methodology on the River Selho (Guimarães Municipality, Northwest Portugal)

Costa

Vieira

2021

Hydrology

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The river habitat survey (RHS) system is a method used to assess the physical features and quality of rivers, which was developed to assist in the conservation and recovery of riverside habitats. The RHS takes into account the need to characterize areas of intervention from a hydromorphological point of view, in order to introduce corrective measures aimed at restoring degraded sections and habitats, and increasing local biodiversity. In this paper, we present the results obtained from the application of the RHS methodology to the River Selho, in the municipality of Guimarães (Portugal). The transects that we defined were strongly influenced by anthropic actions that have modified the riverside habitats, the artificialization of the river channel, and the urban occupation of the banks. Taking into account the results, we can point out the main problems that currently affect the hydromorphological quality of the transects analyzed in the River Selho, as well as identify the originating factors: the excessive silting of the watercourse; morphometric changes, with an emphasis on the narrowing and modification of the channel and the banks; as well as the massive destruction of the riparian zone. This study shows that the application of the RHS methodology is a useful tool for the management of degraded riverside areas.

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“…The quality of riverine habitats and the impact of engineering structures on the physical diversity of streams were identified as potential limitations to the species distribution and survival (Able et al 1999; Lacoul and Freedman 2006). The evaluation of hydromorphological status is recognized as one of the supplementary criteria in ecological quality of river recognition, as well as physicochemical quality of the water (Armitage and Pardo 1995, Kemp et al 2000, Popek and Wasilewicz 2004, Kiraga and Popek 2014. )…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The higher HMS value, the more durable habitat transformation, and therefore the more advanced the processes leading to distinguishing the habitat from the natural status. However, the human efforts could also lead to increasing the naturalness of the habitat (Kiraga and Popek 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Diversification of River Habitat Survey Output During Four Seasons: Case Studies of Three Lowland Rivers in Poland

Kiraga¹

2020

J. Ecol. Eng.

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The EU Water Framework Directive demands maintaining or attaining good quality of the water bodies within the territory of the member states, which is strictly connected with the planning process of the water resources management. The water management plans have to include the assessment of the water body quality condition and further propose the actions to be implemented to enhance the quality of the European water resources. In order to answer the question of whether there is a risk of failure to achieve the WFD objectives, an assessment of the current status should be carried out, followed by an estimate on how likely achieving a good water status in the future is. One of the most popular valorization methods used for the water quality assessment is the River Habitat Survey (RHS) that enables the determination of two indicators, which summarize many single basic parameters, to assess the hydromorphological properties of rivers in a numerical form. Two indices are used most widely: Habitat Modification Score (HMS), which defines the range of transformations in river morphology and Habitat Quality Assessment (HQA), which is based on the presence and diversity of natural elements of the stream and river valley. The application of the above mentioned numerical indices allows calculating the hydromorphological quality status of the studied section following the expectations of the Water Framework Directive. Five ecological classes are distinguished. RHS is described as objective, suitable for statistical analyses, multidirectional and applicative method. However, the final valorization results are strongly affected by the presence of vegetation, which varies during the whole year. This contribution describes the analysis and comparison of the RHS results over the four seasons, namely: spring, summer, autumn and winter of three small lowland rivers in Poland (Zielawa, Zwoleńka and Zagożdżonka). It was unequivocally found that the value of the HQA parameter varied during the seasons, and the changes in its numerical value mainly depended on the condition, development level of vegetation, and the number of species observed. It was demonstrated that depending on the season, the Habitat Quality Assessment variation could change in about 5% of the maximal value, which could lead to a step from one hydromorphological class to another.

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Using the River Habitat Survey method in forecasting effects of river restoration

Cited by 4 publications

References 1 publication

Agricultural Rivers at Risk: Dredging Results in a Loss of Macroinvertebrates. Preliminary Observations from the Narew Catchment, Poland

Agricultural Rivers at Risk: Dredging Results in a Loss of Macroinvertebrates. Preliminary Observations from the Narew Catchment, Poland

Decision Support Tools for River Restoration: The Implementation of the “River Habitat Survey” Methodology on the River Selho (Guimarães Municipality, Northwest Portugal)

The Diversification of River Habitat Survey Output During Four Seasons: Case Studies of Three Lowland Rivers in Poland

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