Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
part of commonly used terminology, is embedded
in the US Clean Water Act and European
water legislation (Council of the European
Communities, 2000), draws large investment
worldwide (http://www.americanrivers.org/about-
us/history/), and enables local people to
understand the benefits of naturally functioning
ecosystems (australianriverrestorationcentre.com
.au). River restoration centres have been
instrumental in a shift from defending people
and property against nature to working with
natural processes; this has been achieved by
promoting a change in approach, building
technical capacity and information resources
and encouraging a more integrated understanding
of rivers and their management. As scientific
understanding of rivers and societal interest in the
natural environment has grown, river restoration
centres have channelled that new knowledge and
interest through successive stages of development:
demonstrating reach-scale physical improvements;
addressing catchment problems based on local
solutions for species and naturalness; and long-
term investment in changing the way in which
river catchments are managed to assist habitat
recovery.
Nevertheless, although river restoration has
increased in profile there has been a continuing
decline in the condition of many major river
systems (Khan and Akbar, this volume). A criticism
of river restoration centres could be that they
are failing to protect vulnerable rivers. However,
the majority of river restoration centres worldwide
have purposely remained outside the political
and lobbying arenas and instead concentrated
on advising and working with governments and
environmental regulators to achieve change.
Looking further ahead we can anticipate several
developments. There will be coordinating river
restoration centres worldwide. ECRR and ARRN
will have helped in the development of other
international centres in North and South America
and in Africa. These centres will also have helped
create national centres within their own area of
geographical influence, as well as played a role
in developing national centres beyond their own
continental boundaries. Local groups will have
increased, not only producing practical benefits
for their own communities, but also, through
umbrella organizations, influencing national and
international river restoration work. Organizations
such as WWF and UNESCO-IHE will have helped
carry out many river and wetland management
projects around the world, and improved the
condition of rivers for people globally. The
International RiverFoundation will drive a global
integrated river basin restoration network to link
and inspire international and national bodies to
be even more effective in sharing knowledge,
facilitating change and celebrating restored healthy
rivers.
It is sobering to conclude this chapter with
reference to the severe flooding that affected many
parts of Australia in early 2011. Ironically, one of
the worst affected areas was Brisbane, because it
was the community of this city, celebrating the
value of its own river, that gave birth to the IRF. We
hope that the reaction will not be to turn against
river restoration, but instead to focus on it as part of
truly sustainable water management in the future.
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