1
© The Author(s) 2018
E. Wohl, Sustaining River Ecosystems and Water Resources, SpringerBriefs in
Environmental Science, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-65124-8_1
Chapter 1
Introduction
The basic objectives of this book are twofold. First, the book provides an overview
of rivers as ecosystems that exist within the greater landscape of a watershed or
drainage basin. Second, the book explores the management implications of conceptualizing rivers as ecosystems rather than simply as channels to convey water downstream. If rivers are viewed solely as conduits for water, then management can be
designed to maximize delivery of specified quantities of water at specified times via
intensive engineering and flow regulation. If rivers are viewed as ecosystems, then
management must be designed to include other outcomes such as maintenance of
physical diversity, connectivity, and biodiversity within rivers. Since the final decade
of the twentieth century, river management has increasingly emphasized aspects
such as diversity and connectivity. This book reviews scientific understanding of
rivers relevant to the shifting emphases in river management and suggests pathways
to sustain this management shift.
My intent in writing the book is to summarize recent developments across multiple aspects of river science that are relevant to river management. The book
provides an interdisciplinary perspective for students and professionals within
individual subsets of river science and an overview accessible to those primarily
concerned with river management. I believe that this book is needed because paradigms—theoretical frameworks that shape how we think and act—change slowly,
in science, management, and society. A paradigm shift among river scientists has
been underway for at least two decades. Ecologists and physical scientists increasingly emphasize the interconnectedness of channels with the floodplain and
underlying hyporheic zone, the watershed, and the broader world (e.g., Fausch
et al. 2002; Muehlbauer et al. 2014; Harvey and Gooseff 2015; Gurnell et al.
2016). Scientists also increasingly highlight the importance of changes through
time—floods, droughts, fires—in maintaining a healthy river ecosystem (Nilsson
and Berggren 2000; Tockner et al. 2003). This paradigm shift has been slower to
reach those charged with managing rivers and other natural resources, as well as
society at large.
© The Author(s) 2018
E. Wohl, Sustaining River Ecosystems and Water Resources, SpringerBriefs in
Environmental Science, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-65124-8_1
Chapter 1
Introduction
The basic objectives of this book are twofold. First, the book provides an overview
of rivers as ecosystems that exist within the greater landscape of a watershed or
drainage basin. Second, the book explores the management implications of conceptualizing rivers as ecosystems rather than simply as channels to convey water downstream. If rivers are viewed solely as conduits for water, then management can be
designed to maximize delivery of specified quantities of water at specified times via
intensive engineering and flow regulation. If rivers are viewed as ecosystems, then
management must be designed to include other outcomes such as maintenance of
physical diversity, connectivity, and biodiversity within rivers. Since the final decade
of the twentieth century, river management has increasingly emphasized aspects
such as diversity and connectivity. This book reviews scientific understanding of
rivers relevant to the shifting emphases in river management and suggests pathways
to sustain this management shift.
My intent in writing the book is to summarize recent developments across multiple aspects of river science that are relevant to river management. The book
provides an interdisciplinary perspective for students and professionals within
individual subsets of river science and an overview accessible to those primarily
concerned with river management. I believe that this book is needed because paradigms—theoretical frameworks that shape how we think and act—change slowly,
in science, management, and society. A paradigm shift among river scientists has
been underway for at least two decades. Ecologists and physical scientists increasingly emphasize the interconnectedness of channels with the floodplain and
underlying hyporheic zone, the watershed, and the broader world (e.g., Fausch
et al. 2002; Muehlbauer et al. 2014; Harvey and Gooseff 2015; Gurnell et al.
2016). Scientists also increasingly highlight the importance of changes through
time—floods, droughts, fires—in maintaining a healthy river ecosystem (Nilsson
and Berggren 2000; Tockner et al. 2003). This paradigm shift has been slower to
reach those charged with managing rivers and other natural resources, as well as
society at large.