River restoration may be defined as “the re-establishment of natural physical processes (e.g. variation of flow and sediment movement), features (e.g. sediment sizes and river shape) and physical habitats of a river system (including submerged, bank and floodplain areas)”. This definition, from the IUCN (NC UK) report on River Restoration and Biodiversity (Addy et al., 2016), will underpin the CEN standard.
River restoration may be defined as “the re-establishment of natural physical processes (e.g. variation of flow and sediment movement), features (e.g. sediment sizes and river shape) and physical habitats of a river system (including submerged, bank and floodplain areas)”. This definition, from the IUCN (NC UK) report on River Restoration and Biodiversity (Addy et al., 2016), will underpin the CEN standard.
The CEN standard on river hydromorphology (EN 14614: “Water quality – Guidance standard for accessing the hydromorphological features of rivers”) will provide the link to the approach approved for use under the WFD. (EN 14614 is at present subject to revision.) The scope of the standard should be broad, covering the varied reasons for undertaking river restoration, all spatial scales of restoration (river channels, riparian areas, floodplains, and set within a framework of catchment management), and those fields of study needed for planning and undertaking river restoration, such as hydrology, geomorphology, ecology and biology. The standard should address the benefits of river restoration for biodiversity, flood control, water quality, landscape, and human health and wellbeing, and should recognise the emphasis on ‘natural capital’ and on ‘nature-based solutions’ that are currently being advocated by many European governments.
The standard should be aspirational, showing what can be achieved in the absence of constraints, while at the same time recognising the limitations that may restrict the outcomes of river restoration. The standard will not attempt to be overly prescriptive, because of the many types of rivers and streams that occur throughout Europe, but it should specify a set of minimum standards that are needed if river restoration is to be successful. It will recognise where good practice already exists and seek to build on it.
Legislation related to this standard
Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy (substitutes Directive Reference 01/991 - Common Position on WFD)
ABANDON
cen:proj:76046
30.98
Project deleted
Jan 11, 2023
