Proceedings of the 10th Annual River Restoration Centre Networking Conference

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List of papers

Preface

James Holloway  (Editor, the River Restoration Centre)

The River Restoration Centre's 10th Annual Network Conference was held between the 1st and 3rd of April 2009 at the University of Nottingham. This event saw the number of delegates who have attended this run of events total just under two thousand, albeit with some repeat faces. Such an occasion called for both looking back and to the way forward.

Anticipation of the future direction of river restoration in the British Isles by keynote speakers Alastair Driver (Environment Agency) and Chris Spray (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) framed the diverse range of presentations and discussions which populated the two days. The 49 speakers and exhibitors presented work to over 200 delegates representing all areas of the river management and habitat enhancement community - from
conservation groups to consultants, practitioners to policy makers, academics to agencies - within 13 themed sessions:

 Policy and Project Frameworks
 Hydromorphology
 Social and Community Benefits
 Flood Risk Management and Ecological Gain
 Future Scenarios
 Improving Spatial Connectivity
 Living With Rivers and Floodplains
 A Question of Scale
 New Tools for Restoration
 Strategic Restoration and Management
 Invertebrate Communities
 Restoration Potential
 Where Next ...?

The 18 proceedings papers compiled here represent a sample from across all of these sessions except the first. To set the scene, from this initial policy and project frameworks session emerged the necessity for explicit river restoration objectives, monitoring, and increasing the evidence base for best practice. The speakers also identified room for improvement in the integration of river projects with other policies and planning (also discussed in the paper by Karen Potter), and a need to appreciate that project management must be adaptive and have a long term focus. River rehabilitation as a means of delivering Water Framework Directive objectives was discussed, alongside novel funding mechanisms.

The first three papers address some motivations for intervention in rivers. An overview of typical past modifications to river hydromorphology is presented by Jean-René Malavoi, using examples from France with clear parallels to the UK, though it is argued that morphology alone presents a weak case for expensive works. With this in mind, an examination of the extent to which enhancement of urban river corridors can benefit communities follows. Chapman & Taylor give an account of projects in England and The Netherlands which have aimed to integrate planning measures for 'designing out crime' with environmental improvements, while Martin Gilchrist's paper assesses how engaging local people in a rehabilitation project on the River Avon in Salisbury has contributed to community cohesion.

Having addressed but a few of the many stimuli for restoration, the next five papers illustrate the first steps in the instigation of a project. Karen Potter presents some of her work on a spatial planning basis for selecting areas for floodplain restoration, while Steyl & German and Hammond & England detail some of the methods employed in the development of options, for specific reaches in Hampshire and the Chilterns, respectively. Bradley et al. give an account of their analysis of the relative value of some of the commonly applied assessment methods for identifying appropriate restoration techniques, while Hetherington et al. investigate the application of laser scanning technology for more quantitative, less subjective physical habitat assessment.

Cooper & Farnell and Ros Kaye then demonstrate the multifaceted nature of project implementation. In the former, the multiple payoffs of a collaborative approach, involving landscape architects, are exemplified by works following the extensive flood damage in Boscastle, while the latter author shows how even the smallest opportunities can be exploited successfully to meet flood risk management, biodiversity, hydromorphological, water quality, aesthetic, access and amenity objectives. Peter Worrall goes on to describe a number of different tools and techniques used in, as well as the complex bureaucratic and civic background to a remediation project in a National Park, where the works were required to cause minimal impact to the existing environment.

It could be argued that the ultimate 'clients' for whom restoration projects are carried out are members of the river biota themselves, and two of these proceedings papers attempt to identify the needs of fish and invertebrates more explicitly. Vicky Kindemba describes how considerations for invertebrate habitat extend well beyond the channel margins, and the spectre of data paucity and the need for monitoring are also highlighted. The wider spatial requirements of fish are the subject of the paper by Peirson et al., who present findings from studies of dispersal behaviour in flood events, and demonstrate that careful restoration of floodplain connectivity can deliver great improvements in coarse fish communities.

From here, the focus becomes much more large-scale, beginning with a catchment-wide project demonstrating that coordinated changes in the management of obsolete control structures, rather than any physical works, can benefit river habitats. From this account by Eyquem & Wheeldon on the Hampshire Avon of some 96km, Tóth et al. then describe the Mosoni-Danube rehabilitation project, covering 124km of the mighty Danube system. The vast amount of initial information gathering involved with such an extensive project becomes clear, but so does its necessity, given the potentially significant impacts outside the reach in question, as exemplified by the Danube bed-sinking phenomenon. Finally, Ulrika Åberg charts the development of river rehabilitation philosophy, process and regulation for the whole of Japan, where the immediate needs of flood defence have left a legacy of some of the most engineered rivers in the world. The 21st century, however, has brought hope of much more nature-oriented river management, though the recurring difficulty of establishing truly integrated river management again rears its head.

An inevitable issue for consideration in future river restoration and enhancement enterprises is that of a less stable climate. Brunner et al. describe a climate-proofing exercise to identify possible adaptation measures in upland Northumbria, discussing the applicability of lessons learnt to other areas of the British Isles. Finally, Will Bond examines the implications of the continuing and predicted rapid growth of the still rather young river restoration industry, particularly in terms of a limited pool of expertise, the difficulty of disseminating lessons learnt to new practitioners and the impact this has on the quality and public perception of projects. All of this brings into sharp focus the value of knowledge transfer activities such as constitute these proceedings, the conference itself and the role of RRC. In recognition of this, we extend our heartfelt thanks to all the participants and look forward to York in 2010.