The Rivers and Streams of England and Wales: An Overview of their Physical Character in 2007-2008 and Changes Since 1995-1996

River Conservation and Management

Volumn , Issue , 2012, Pages 29-43

  Seager, Katharine ^a   Baker, Lucy ^a   Parsons, Helena ^a   Raven, Paul J ^a   Vaughan, Ian P ^b  

^a ENVIRONMENT AGENCY   (United Kingdom)

^b CARDIFF UNIVERSITY   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Channel modification; Habitat quality; Invasive non native plants; River Habitat Survey; Riverside trees; Water Framework Directive

Indexed keywords

EID: 84886865421     PISSN: None     EISSN: None     Source Type: Book    
DOI: 10.1002/9781119961819.ch3     Document Type: Chapter

References (77)

1. Bates AJ, Sadler JP, Fowles AP, Butcher CR (2005) Spatial dynamics of beetles living on exposed riverine sediments in the upper River Severn: method development and preliminary results. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 15: 159-74.
2. Boon PJ (2000) The development of integrated methods for assessing river conservation value. Hydrobiologia 423: 413-28.
3. Boon PJ, Calow P, Petts GE (eds) (1992) River Conservation and Management. John Wiley & Sons Ltd: Chichester.
4. Boon PJ, Holmes NTH, Maitland PS, Fozzard IR (2002) Developing a new version of SERCON (System for Evaluating Rivers for Conservation). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 12: 439-55.
5. Boon PJ, Holmes NTH, Raven PJ (2010) Developing standard approaches for recording and assessing river hydromorphology: the role of the European Committee for Standardization (CEN). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20: S55-S61.
6. Braioni MG, De Franceschi P, Braioni A, Campeol G, Caloi S, Grandis N, Pontiroli A, Ravanello P (2001) New environmental indices for assessing bank quality in the restoration and the sustainable management of a river: the method. Ecohydrology and Hydrobiology 1: 133-54.
7. Brierley GJ, Fryirs K (2000) River Styles, a geomorphic approach to catchment characterisation: implications for river rehabilitation in Bega catchment, New South Wales, Australia. Environmental Management 25: 661-79.
8. Brierley GJ, Fryirs K (2005) Geomorphology and River Management: Applications of the River Styles Framework. Blackwell Publishing: Oxford.
9. British Standards Institution (2004) EN 14614. Water Quality: Guidance Standard for Assessing the Hydromorphological Features of Rivers. BSI: London.
10. British Standards Institution (2010) EN15843. Water Quality: Guidance Standard on Determining the Degree of Modification of River Hydromorphology. BSI: London.
11. Brookes A (1992) Recovery and restoration of some engineered British river channels. In River Conservation and Management, Boon PJ, Calow P, Petts GE (eds). John Wiley & Sons Ltd: Chichester; 337-52.
12. Brookes A, Gregory KJ, Dawson FH (1983) An assessment of river channelization in England and Wales. Science of the Total Environment 27: 97-112.
13. Buffagni A, Kemp JL (2002) Looking beyond the shores of the United Kingdom: addenda for the application of River Habitat Survey in South-European rivers. Journal of Limnology 61: 199-214.
14. Chessman BC, Fryis KA, Brierley GJ (2006) Linking geomorphic character, behaviour and condition to fluvial biodiversity: implications for river management. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 16: 267-88.
15. Clews E, Vaughan IP, Ormerod SJ (2010) Evaluating the effects of riparian restoration on a temperate river-system using standardized habitat survey. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20: S96-S104.
16. Council of the European Communities (2000) Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 23rd October 2000: establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy. Official Journal of the European Communities L327: 1-72.
17. Cressie NAC (1993) Statistics for Spatial Data (revised edition). John Wiley & Sons Inc: New York.
18. Dawson FH, Kern Hansen U (1979) The effect of natural and artificial shade on the macrophytes of lowland streams and the use of shade as a management technique. Internationale Revue gesamten Hydrobiologie und Hydrographie 64: 437-55.
19. Dawson FH, Holland D (1999) The distribution in bankside habitats of three alien invasive plants in the UK in relation to the development of control strategies. Hydrobiologia 415: 193-201.
20. Demortier G, Goetghebeur P (1996) Outil d'évaluation de la qualitié dumiieu physique des cours d'eau. Synthese. Agence de l'eau Rhin-Meuse: Angers.
21. Dunbar MJ, Murphy J, Clarke R, Baker R, Davies C, Scarlett P (2010a) Headwater Streams Report from 2007. Countryside Survey Technical Report No. 8/07. NERC/Centre for Ecology and Hydrology. (CEH Project Number CO3259). NERC Open Research Archive:nora@nerc.ac.uk.
22. Dunbar MJ, Pederson ML, Cadman D, Extence C, Waddingham J, Chadd R, Larsen SE (2010b) River discharge and local-scale physical habitat influence macroinvertebrate LIFE scores. Freshwater Biology 55: 226-62.
23. Dunbar MJ, Warren M, Extence C, Baker L, Cadman D, Mould DJ, Hall J, Chadd R (2010c) Interaction between macroinvertebrates, discharge and physical habitat in upland rivers. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20: S31-S44.
24. Environment Agency (2003) River Habitat Survey Guidance Manual: 2003 version. Environment Agency, Bristol.
25. Environment Agency (2011) Fifth otter survey of England 2009-10. Technical report. Environment Agency, Bristol.
26. Erba S, Buffagni A, Holmes N, O'Hare M, Scarlett P, Stenico A (2006) Preliminary testing of River Habitat Survey features for the aims of the WFD hydromorphological assessment: an overview from the STAR project. Hydrobiologia 566: 281-96.
27. Federal Environment Agency (2005) Data on the Environment. The State of the Environment in Germany, 2005 edition. Federal Environment Agency, Dessau, Germany: 127-33.
28. Fox PJA, Naura M, Scarlett P (1998) An account of the derivation and testing of a standard field method: an example using River Habitat Survey. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 8: 455-75.
29. Furse MT, Hering D, Brabec K, Buffagni A, Sandin L, Verdonschot PFM (eds) (2006) The Ecological Status of European Rivers: Evaluation and Intercalibration of Assessment Method. Developments in Hydrobiology DH 188, Hydrobiologia 566: 1-555.
30. Gibbons DW, Reid JB, Chapman RA (eds) (1993) The New Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland: 1988-1991. T & AD Poyser: London.
31. Gibbs JN, Lipscombe MA, Peace AJ (1999) The impact of Phytophthora disease of riparian populations of common alder (Alnus glutinosa) in southern Britain. European Journal of Forest Pathology 29: 39-50.
32. Gregoire TG, Valentine HT (2007) Sampling Strategies for Natural Resources and the Environment. CRC Press: Boca Raton.
33. Gregory KJ (1992) Vegetation and river channel process interactions. In River Conservation and Management, Boon PJ, Calow P, Petts GE (eds). John Wiley & Sons Ltd: Chichester; 255-69.
34. Greig SM, Sear DA, Carling PA (2005) The impact of fine sediment accumulation on the survival of incubating salmon progeny: implications for sediment management. Science of the Total Environment 344: 241-58.
35. Gurnell AM, Piégay H, Swanson FJ, Gregory SV (2002) Large wood and fluvial processes. Freshwater Biology 47: 601-9.
36. Harper D, Smith C, Barham P, Howell R (1995) The ecological basis for the management of the natural river environment. In The Ecological Basis for River Management, Harper D, Ferguson AJD (eds). John Wiley & Sons Ltd: Chichester; 219-38.
37. Harvey GL, Clifford NJ, Gurnell AM (2008) Towards an ecologically meaningful classification of the flow biotope for river inventory, rehabilitation, design and appraisal purposes. Journal of Environmental Management 88: 638-50.
38. Harvey GL, Wallerstein NP (2009) Exploring the interactions between flood defence maintenance works and river habitats: the use of River Habitat Survey data. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 19: 689-702.
39. Haslam SM (1991) The Historic River: Rivers and Culture Down the Ages. Cobden of Cambridge Press: Cambridge.
40. Hughes SJ, Ferreira MT, Cortes RV (2008) Hierarchical spatial patterns and drivers of change in benthic macroinvertebrate communities in an intermittent Mediterranean river. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 18: 742-60.
41. Hulme PE, Bremner ET (2006) Assessing the impact of Impatiens glandulifera on riparian habitats: partitioning diversity components following species removal. Journal of Applied Ecology 43: 43-50.
42. Jeffers JNR (1998a) The statistical basis of sampling strategies for rivers: an example using River Habitat Survey. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 8: 447-54.
43. Jeffers JNR (1998b) Characterization of river habitats and prediction of habitat features using ordination techniques. Aquatic Conservation, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 8: 529-40.
44. Kondolf GM (1995) Geomorphological stream channel classification in aquatic habitat restoration: uses and limitations. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 5: 127-41.
45. LAWA (2000) Gewässerstrukturgütebewertung in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Verfahren für kleine und mittlegroße Fließgewässer. Berlin.
46. Maddock I (1999) The importance of physical habitat assessment for evaluating river health. Freshwater Biology 41: 373-91.
47. Mainstone CP, Holmes NTH (2010) The basis for a river restoration strategy in the UK. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20: S82-S95.
48. Muhar S, Schwarz M, Schmutz S, Jungwirth M (2000) Identification of rivers with high and good habitat quality: methodological approach and applications in Austria. Hydrobiologia 422-423: 343-58.
49. Munné A, Prat N, Sola C, Bonada N, Rieradevall M (2003) A simple field method for assessing the ecological quality of riparian habitat in rivers and streams: QBR index. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 13: 147-63.
50. Newson MD (1997) Time, scale and change in river landscapes: the jerky conveyor belt. Landscape Research 22: 13-23.
51. Newson MD (2010) Understanding 'hot-spot' problems in catchments: the need for scale-sensitive measures and mechanisms to secure effective solutions for river management and conservation. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20: S62-S72.
52. Newson MD, Clark MJ, Sear DA, Brookes A (1998) The geomorphological basis for classifying rivers. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 8: 415-30.
53. Newson MD, Large RG (2006) 'Natural' rivers, 'hydromorphological quality' and river restoration: a challenging new agenda for applied fluvial geomorphology. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 31: 1606-24.
54. Newson MD, Newson CL (2000) Geomorphology, ecology and river channel habitat: meso-scale approaches to basin-scale challenges. Progress in Physical Geography 24: 195-217.
55. Oliveira SV, Cortes RMV (2005) A biologically relevant habitat condition index for streams in northern Portugal. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 15: 189-210.
56. Ormerod SJ (2009) Climate change, river conservation and the adaptation challenge. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 19: 609-13.
57. Orr H, Large ARG, Newson MD, Walsh CL (2008) A predictive typology for characterising hydromorphology. Geomorphology 100: 32-40.
58. Owens PN, Batalla RJ, Collins AJ, Gomez B, Hicks DM, Horowitz AJ, Kondolf GM, Marden M, Page MJ, Peacock DH et al. (2005) Fine-grained sediment in river systems: environmental significance and management issues. River Research and Applications 21: 693-717.
59. Parsons M, Thoms MC, Norris RH (2004) Development of a standardised approach to river habitat assessment in Australia. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 98: 109-30.
60. Piégay H, Adrien A, Slater L, Bourdin L (2009) Census and typology of braided rivers in the French Alps. Aquatic Sciences 71: 371-88.
61. Poole GC (2002) Fluvial landcape ecology: addressing uniqueness within the river discontinuum. Freshwater Biology 47: 641-60.
62. Purseglove J (1988) Taming the Flood. A History and Natural History of Rivers and Wetlands. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
63. Raven PJ, Fox P, Everard M, Holmes NTH, Dawson FH (1997) River Habitat Survey: a new system for classifying rivers according to their habitat quality. In Freshwater Quality: Defining the Indefinable? Boon PJ, Howell DJ (eds). The Stationery Office: Edinburgh; 215-34.
64. Raven PJ, Holmes NTH, Dawson FH, Everard M (1998a) Quality assessment using River Habitat Survey data. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 8: 405-24.
65. Raven PJ, Holmes NTH, Dawson FH, Fox PJA, Everard M, Fozzard I, Rouen KJ (1998b) River Habitat Quality: the Physical Character of Rivers and Streams in the UK and the Isle of Man. Environment Agency: Bristol.
66. Raven PJ, Holmes NTH, Naura M, Dawson FH (2000) Using River Habitat Survey for environmental assessment and catchment planning in the UK. Hydrobiologia 422/423: 359-67.
67. Raven PJ, Holmes NTH, Charrier P, Dawson FH, Naura M, Boon PJ (2002) Towards a harmonised approach for hydromorphological assessment of rivers in Europe: a qualitative comparison of three survey methods. Aquatic Conservation, Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 12: 477-500.
68. Raven PJ, Holmes NTH, Vaughan IP, Dawson FH, Scarlett P (2010) Benchmarking river habitat quality: observations using River Habitat Survey on nearnatural streams and rivers in northern and western Europe. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20: S13-S30.
69. Schneider PJ, Neitzal M, Schaffrath M, Schlumprecht, H (2003) Physico-chemical assessment of the reference status in German surface waters: a contribution to the establishment of the EC Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EG in Germany. Acta Hydrochimica et Hydrobiologica 31: 49-63.
70. Schneiders A, Verhaert E, Blust GD, Wils C, Nervoets L, Verheyen R (1993) Towards an ecological assessment of watercourses. Journal of Aquatic Ecosystem Health 2: 29-38.
71. Sear DA, Armitage PD, Dawson FH (1999) Groundwater dominated rivers. Hydrological Processes 13: 255-76.
72. Sear D, Newson M, Hill C, Old J, Branson J (2008) A method for applying fluvial geomorphology in support of catchment-scale river restoration planning. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 19: 506-19.
73. Szoszkiewicz K, Buffagni A, Davy-Bowker J, Lesny J, Chojnicki BH, Zbierska J, Staniszewski R, Zgola T (2006) Occurrence and variability of River Habitat Survey features across Europe and the consequences for data collection and evaluation. Hydrobiologia 566: 267-80.
74. Tickner D, Armitage PD, Bickerton MA, Hall KA (2000) Assessing stream quality using information on mesohabitat distribution and character. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 10: 179-96.
75. Vaughan IP (2010) Habitat indices for rivers: derivation and applications. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 20: S4-S12.
76. Vaughan IP, Noble DG, Ormerod SJ (2007) Combining surveys of river habitats and river birds to appraise riverine hydromorphology. Freshwater Biology 52: 2270-84.
77. Weiß A, Matouskova M, Matschullat J (2008) Hydromorphological assessment within the EU-Water Framework Directive-trans-boundary cooperation and application to different water basins. Hydrobiologia 603: 53-72.