Turning over a new leaf: the role of novel riparian ecosystems in catchment management

Abstract

Novel riparian ecosystems, comprising new combinations of species and/or artificial elements (i.e. human infrastructure), are an inevitable and increasingly common component of catchments, especially in human-dominated landscapes. While posing numerous risks to riverine biodiversity and ecosystems, novel riparian (and upland) ecosystems can also have many beneficial effects at local and catchment scales and may help address critical river management problems, e.g. bank erosion, degraded water quality. Furthermore, conventional management approaches (e.g., weed control and eradication) can be ineffective, expensive, time consuming and associated with a range of unintended outcomes (e.g., soil disturbance, habitat loss etc.). We advocate that catchment planning and management consider the retention and even enhancement of some novel ecosystems for the benefit of biodiversity and ecosystem functions, particularly given the implications of climate change.