9.7 Conclusions
The riparian vegetation is turning as one of the natural means of maintaining the river
water quality with recently their importance being more emphasised over technical
solutions of combating river pollution. The word “riparian” and the suffixes used
with it have been associated with the inherent variability. The literature suggests the
inherent variability in definitions of the word “riparian” and the suffixes used. The
definition of the term and its usage have evolved from legal to scientific, with each
branch of science defining it in its own way. The author suggests that the definition
given by Ilhardt et al. (2000) is more complete and should be universally used
henceforth; further, the most appropriate suffix to explain the functionality of
riparian areas is “ecotone,” given by Ilhardt et al. (2000).
These areas are to be looked as of utmost importance because of their important
role in maintaining the fluvial landscape. The researchers have emphasised over their
role in stabilising the riverbank, in filtering the pollutants, in regulating the river flow
and groundwater recharge and also for maintaining the river ecosystem. These
functions of riparian ecotone are dependent on the type of vegetation harbouring
the riverbank. Most of the researches have been done to see the effectiveness of grass
and forest riparian ecotone with sediments, nitrate and phosphorus as pollutants. The
literature suggests a few studies from India being cited in the context of laying the
importance of riparian ecotone, thus requiring directives to research the Indian river
from riparian ecotone perspective and including it in river management plans.
Acknowledgements The authors are thankful to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research,
New Delhi, for financial support in the form of research associateship. We also acknowledge
Mr. Rahul Kumar, design lead, Defcon group Dehradun, for designing Figs. 9.1 and 9.2. The
director, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, ISRO Dehradun, is also acknowledged for his support
and encouragement.
References
Anderson EW (1987) Riparian area definition: a viewpoint. Rangel Arch 9(2):70
Arthington AH, Marshall JC, Rayment GE, Hunter HM, Bunn SE (1997) Potential impact of
sugarcane production on riparian and freshwater environments. In: Intensive sugarcane production: meeting the challenge beyond 2000. Proceedings of the Sugar 2000 symposium, Brisbane,
Australia, 20–23 August 1996. Cab International, Brisbane, pp 403–421
Asaeda T, Rashid MH (2014) Modelling of nutrient dynamics and vegetation succession in
midstream sediment bars of a regulated river. Int J River Basin Manag 12(2):123–133
Baker TT (2002) What is a riparian area? Cooperative Extension Service Animal Resources
Department. New Mexico State University, Las Cruces
Bren LJ (1993) Riparian zone, stream, and floodplain issues: a review. J Hydrol 150(2–4):277–299
Camporeale C, Perucca E, Ridolfi L, Gurnell AM (2013) Modeling the interactions between river
morphodynamics and riparian vegetation. Rev Geophys 51(3):379–414
Cardoso EJBN, Vasconcellos RLF, Bini D, Miyauchi MYH, Santos CAD, Alves PRL, Paula AMD,
Nakatani AS, Pereira JDM, Nogueira MA (2013) Soil health: looking for suitable indicators.
216
S. Sharma et al.
The riparian vegetation is turning as one of the natural means of maintaining the river
water quality with recently their importance being more emphasised over technical
solutions of combating river pollution. The word “riparian” and the suffixes used
with it have been associated with the inherent variability. The literature suggests the
inherent variability in definitions of the word “riparian” and the suffixes used. The
definition of the term and its usage have evolved from legal to scientific, with each
branch of science defining it in its own way. The author suggests that the definition
given by Ilhardt et al. (2000) is more complete and should be universally used
henceforth; further, the most appropriate suffix to explain the functionality of
riparian areas is “ecotone,” given by Ilhardt et al. (2000).
These areas are to be looked as of utmost importance because of their important
role in maintaining the fluvial landscape. The researchers have emphasised over their
role in stabilising the riverbank, in filtering the pollutants, in regulating the river flow
and groundwater recharge and also for maintaining the river ecosystem. These
functions of riparian ecotone are dependent on the type of vegetation harbouring
the riverbank. Most of the researches have been done to see the effectiveness of grass
and forest riparian ecotone with sediments, nitrate and phosphorus as pollutants. The
literature suggests a few studies from India being cited in the context of laying the
importance of riparian ecotone, thus requiring directives to research the Indian river
from riparian ecotone perspective and including it in river management plans.
Acknowledgements The authors are thankful to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research,
New Delhi, for financial support in the form of research associateship. We also acknowledge
Mr. Rahul Kumar, design lead, Defcon group Dehradun, for designing Figs. 9.1 and 9.2. The
director, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, ISRO Dehradun, is also acknowledged for his support
and encouragement.
References
Anderson EW (1987) Riparian area definition: a viewpoint. Rangel Arch 9(2):70
Arthington AH, Marshall JC, Rayment GE, Hunter HM, Bunn SE (1997) Potential impact of
sugarcane production on riparian and freshwater environments. In: Intensive sugarcane production: meeting the challenge beyond 2000. Proceedings of the Sugar 2000 symposium, Brisbane,
Australia, 20–23 August 1996. Cab International, Brisbane, pp 403–421
Asaeda T, Rashid MH (2014) Modelling of nutrient dynamics and vegetation succession in
midstream sediment bars of a regulated river. Int J River Basin Manag 12(2):123–133
Baker TT (2002) What is a riparian area? Cooperative Extension Service Animal Resources
Department. New Mexico State University, Las Cruces
Bren LJ (1993) Riparian zone, stream, and floodplain issues: a review. J Hydrol 150(2–4):277–299
Camporeale C, Perucca E, Ridolfi L, Gurnell AM (2013) Modeling the interactions between river
morphodynamics and riparian vegetation. Rev Geophys 51(3):379–414
Cardoso EJBN, Vasconcellos RLF, Bini D, Miyauchi MYH, Santos CAD, Alves PRL, Paula AMD,
Nakatani AS, Pereira JDM, Nogueira MA (2013) Soil health: looking for suitable indicators.
216
S. Sharma et al.