Environmental flow assessment with emphasis on holostic methodologies

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Author(s)
Arthington, Angela
Tharme, R.
Brizga, S.
Pusey, Bradley
Kennard, Mark
Year published
2004
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Worldwide there is growing awareness of the pivotal role of the flow regime (hydrology) as a key 'driver' of the ecology of rivers and their associated floodplain wetlands. Ecological processes related to flow and other factors govern the ecosystem goods and services that rivers provide to humans, such as flood attenuation, water purification, production of fish and other foods and marketable goods. Protecting and restoring river flow regimes and hence the ecosystems they support by providing environmental flows has become a major aspect of river basin management. Over 200 approaches for determining environmental flows now ...
View more >Worldwide there is growing awareness of the pivotal role of the flow regime (hydrology) as a key 'driver' of the ecology of rivers and their associated floodplain wetlands. Ecological processes related to flow and other factors govern the ecosystem goods and services that rivers provide to humans, such as flood attenuation, water purification, production of fish and other foods and marketable goods. Protecting and restoring river flow regimes and hence the ecosystems they support by providing environmental flows has become a major aspect of river basin management. Over 200 approaches for determining environmental flows now exist and they are used or proposed for use in more than 50 countries worldwide. Most methodologies currently used in Australia and southern Africa and increasingly in other countries, are holistic in their scope, recognising that it is necessary to provide water for aquatic ecosystems from source to sea and for all water-dependent ecological components. This paper provides a brief history of the development of environmental flow methods and identifies the main features and strengths of each, giving most emphasis to holistic or ecosystem methodologies. We then present an overview of research initiatives needed to enhance these approaches and improve their capacity to predict the ecological, social and economic consequences of change in river flow regimes.
View less >
View more >Worldwide there is growing awareness of the pivotal role of the flow regime (hydrology) as a key 'driver' of the ecology of rivers and their associated floodplain wetlands. Ecological processes related to flow and other factors govern the ecosystem goods and services that rivers provide to humans, such as flood attenuation, water purification, production of fish and other foods and marketable goods. Protecting and restoring river flow regimes and hence the ecosystems they support by providing environmental flows has become a major aspect of river basin management. Over 200 approaches for determining environmental flows now exist and they are used or proposed for use in more than 50 countries worldwide. Most methodologies currently used in Australia and southern Africa and increasingly in other countries, are holistic in their scope, recognising that it is necessary to provide water for aquatic ecosystems from source to sea and for all water-dependent ecological components. This paper provides a brief history of the development of environmental flow methods and identifies the main features and strengths of each, giving most emphasis to holistic or ecosystem methodologies. We then present an overview of research initiatives needed to enhance these approaches and improve their capacity to predict the ecological, social and economic consequences of change in river flow regimes.
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Conference Title
Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on the Mamagement of Large Rivers for Fisheries
Copyright Statement
© 2004 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The attached file is posted here in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher, for your personal use only. No further distribution permitted. For information about this conference please refer to the conference's website or contact the authors.
Subject
History and Archaeology