Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Consensus-building and consultation for the
River Cole scheme was carried out with the
landowner (the National Trust) and tenant farmers.
Local residents generally considered that there had
been few opportunities to influence decisions and
that their opinions were only sought after the
rehabilitation work (Tapsell
et al.
, 1997). This was
largely because the scheme was a 'demonstration'
project and the decision to proceed had already
been taken by the National Trust. Ideally,
consultation should involve all stakeholders before
decisions are made. Prior to rehabilitation the River
Cole was considered by many local residents as
fairly attractive, so they did not entirely understand
the objective of the scheme. This highlights the
importance of communicating clearly the full
ecological and social benefits of rehabilitation
schemes to local communities. The 1997 and
2008 questionnaire results suggest that increased
public participation is likely to lead to higher
satisfaction with the rehabilitation scheme and a
positive attitude to further work. Without local
demand for river rehabilitation there will be
limited opportunities for large-scale schemes and
associated advances in scientific understanding.
There is a strong link between public
involvement and positive perception of the two
river rehabilitation projects. Projects that exclude
people by focusing only on nature and take merely
a scientific approach risk being counter-productive,
because they limit the development of a sense
of pride and affection and therefore discourage
local residents from taking responsibility for the
long-term care of the rehabilitated riverscape. This
was clear for the River Cole where local residents
felt excluded - a negative perception that persisted
12 years after the rehabilitation work.
Access
The results showed that together with riparian
vegetation and wildlife, people rated access to
the river highly. Access is an important factor
contributing to preference and affection for an
area. Footpaths and circular routes encourage
familiarity, which in turn can cultivate a feeling
of belonging and care for the area (Nassauer,
1995; Eden and Tunstall, 2006; Gobster
et al.
,
2007). Increased access can also provide greater
possibilities for a larger number of people to enjoy
the rehabilitated river-scape. Conversely, too much
visitor pressure can limit the benefits of ecological
rehabilitation by increasing noise and litter, which
is considered a nuisance for local residents. There
was evidence of this on the urban River Skerne.
At both the Skerne and Cole sites people favoured
both more frequently used rehabilitated areas,
with increased access provided by new footpaths,
and quieter areas with limited access but higher
ecological integrity. Appreciation of both 'low use'
and 'high use' areas provides the opportunity for
rehabilitation design to create a balance between
areas of higher ecological integrity and areas of high
recreational value (Manning, 1997). The Skerne
provided clear evidence that the design of urban
riverscapes can influence the well-being of local
residents by creating well used green spaces for
people
Discussion
Several significant findings emerged from our
research, with public involvement, access and
understanding nature being the most important.
Public involvement
At the River Skerne, people were satisfied with
the rehabilitation of their river and generally had
a positive attitude towards rehabilitation work. On
the River Cole, there seemed to be a division
of opinion between professionals, who supported
further rehabilitation, and non-professional local
residents who remained sceptical towards the
rehabilitation and considered the work to be 'quite
enough'. Limited opportunities for involvement,
combined with restricted access to the rehabilitated
reaches and other parts of the river, made people
feel left out. Many local residents also failed to see
any direct benefits for the community and were
therefore indifferent or even reluctant regarding
further rehabilitation work.
to
exercise,
socialize
and
feel
safe
and
relaxed.
Understanding nature
Individual attitudes towards the river environment
before rehabilitation work influenced perceived
benefits
of
the
schemes.
At
the
urban
River
