Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Changes in language and communication
A decline in formal written communications in
favour of informal e-mails and text messages.
Development of social networking websites such
as Bebo (www.bebo.com) Myspace (www.myspace
.com), Facebook (www.facebook.com) and Twitter
(http://twitter.com).
Continuing deterioration in the standard of
written English, especially among native English-
speakers.
Infiltration of business jargon into every area,
including ecology and conservation.
Table 1.3
The principal categories of human activities
affecting river systems at a range of spatial scales
(amended from Boon, 1992).
Supra-catchment effects
Acid deposition
Inter-basin transfers
Climate change
Catchment land-use change
Afforestation and deforestation
Urbanization
Agricultural development
Land drainage/ flood protection
Corridor engineering
Removal of riparian vegetation
Flow regulation - dams, channelization, weirs, etc.
Dredging and mining
Instream impacts
Organic and inorganic pollution
Thermal pollution
Abstraction
Navigation
Exploitation of native species
Introduction of alien species
River conservation does not take place in
isolation from its economic, geopolitical, social,
cultural and technological context. Conservation
costs money; it is influenced by government
policies; it reflects social and cultural values; it
takes advantage of developments in science and
technology. How has the case for river conservation
changed over the past 20 years? What are the
priorities for the next 20?
The case for river conservation
the EC Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive
(Council of the European Communities, 1991;
European Environment Agency, 2010), although
nutrient enrichment from diffuse sources remains
a cause for concern. In England and Wales
the number of serious pollution incidents has
steadily declined (Figure 1.1). Yet, despite these
improvements, recent assessment and monitoring
under the EC Water Framework Directive (Council
Use and abuse
Rivers are rarely lost to the landscape altogether -
unlike other natural features such as native
woodlands, ponds or hedgerows. Generally
speaking, the rivers in 1990 still flow in 2010
yet may be profoundly changed in their channel
shape, flow rate, water quality, habitat structure,
or connection with their surrounding corridors.
Rivers are perhaps the most intensively used
ecosystems on the planet, with a huge increase in
the amount of water extracted globally (especially
for agriculture) over the past century (Plate 1),
and subject to a litany of impacts at a range
of scales from 'supra-catchment' to instream
(Table 1.3). Considerable progress in reducing
some types of river pollution has been made
across Europe since 1990. For example, emissions
of sulphur dioxide have declined significantly,
leading to a smaller area subject to, and at risk
of, acidification (European Environment Agency,
2010). The concentration of phosphate in rivers
has
866
776
708
661
605
522
422
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Figure 1.1
Serious pollution incidents affecting water in
England and Wales, 2002 to 2008 (Source -
http://data.gov.uk/dataset/serious-pollution-incidents-
affecting-water-air-and-land-2002-to-2008).
also
fallen,
largely
through
implementing
