This open access book surveys the frontier of scientific river research
and provides examples to guide management towards a sustainable future
of riverine ecosystems. Principal structures and functions of the
biogeosphere of rivers are explained; key threats are identified, and
effective solutions for restoration and mitigation are provided.
Rivers are among the most threatened ecosystems of the world. They
increasingly suffer from pollution, water abstraction, river
channelisation and damming. Fundamental knowledge of ecosystem structure
and function is necessary to understand how human acitivities interfere
with natural processes and which interventions are feasible to rectify
this.
Modern water legislation strives for sustainable water resource
management and protection of important habitats and species. However,
decision makers would benefit from more profound understanding of
ecosystem degradation processes and of innovative methodologies and
tools for efficient mitigation and restoration. The book provides
best-practice examples of sustainable river management from on-site
studies, European-wide analyses and case studies from other parts of the
world. This book will be of interest to researchers in the field of
aquatic ecology, river system functioning, conservation and restoration,
to postgraduate students, to institutions involved in water management,
and to water related industries.