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Benthic macroinvertebrates form the basis of several biotic indices and are widely used globally to assess water quality and ecological condition of aquatic ecosystems. Many of these biotic indices are based on rapid bioassessment protocols (RBP). The first rapid bioassessment protocol (RBP) based on macroinvertebrates, developed in Africa in the early 1990s, was the South Africa Scoring System (SASS). Since then SASS has been widely used in southern Africa and beyond, and has formed the basis of several other RBPs developed in Africa. This paper explores the RBPs and associated biotic indices currently used in Africa, primarily those that are rapid, field-based with low taxonomy (mostly family level) and which rely on sensitivity weightings of individual taxa to generate three metrics for interpreting water quality and ecological condition of aquatic ecosystems. Recommendations for future regional adaptation of RBPs, including calibration, validation and modification of RBPs and biotic indices for new regions. To date, five RBPs have been developed in Africa, while some existing biotic indices have been used outside their intended regional range. Key to the efficacy of any RBP and associated biotic index is the ability to detect a water quality impact, or change in river health. Important considerations when adapting an index for a new region or country include evaluating the suitability of the sampling protocol to local river conditions, evaluating the distribution of aquatic macroinvertebrate taxa in the region, assigning sensitivity weightings to new taxa in the region, evaluating the ability of the biotic index to detect impacts, evaluating within-country spatial and temporal variability in macroinvertebrate assemblages, and developing appropriate data interpretation guidelines based on metric scores and reference conditions. Often several iterations of a biotic index are needed, with improvement in efficacy with each version, following spatially and temporally comprehensive sampling. Future RBPs developed for bioassessment of rivers in Africa will promote the protection, conservation and management of African riverine ecosystems.

Concern about the impacts of water regulation upon the aquatic environment has led to increasingly stringent regulatory constraints on the quantity and timing of freshwater withdrawals. For the time being these regulatory constraints tend to be articulated in terms of limits upon withdrawals, partly because of limited knowledge of the condition and resilience of the aquatic ecosystems. A more sophisticated approach to regulation would be more directly related to indicators of ecological condition. Moreover, it would consider ecosystem response to climatic events not present in the historical record. In this paper we use a combination of empirical evidence of ecosystem condition with simulation to propose and test reductions to regulatory limits on river water withdrawals and downstream minimum flow requirements. The study uses multi-level linear regression to relate the Lotic-invertebrate Index for Flow Evaluation (LIFE) to antecedent flow statistics observed in the Lee catchment, England. The selected flow statistics included extreme low (Q90) and high (Q10) flows in the summer season (April-Sept), and the median flows observed in the winter season (Oct-Mar). The derived model is used to forecast the response of the macroinvertebrate index to future flow scenarios and demand forecasts, incorporating the uncertainties in ecosystem response. Simulation is used to evaluate the sensitivity of the indices to different regulatory limits. Results indicate that macroinvertebrate health will worsen under 21st Century climate conditions, and that the existing regulation policy must be modified to maintain historically observed LIFE scores into the future. The framework demonstrates how regulations could move from precautionary limits on withdrawals to an approach based on observations, forecasting and simulation, allowing planners to refine the trade-offs between river health and reliable water supply in the face of uncertainty.

It is easy to talk of improving river condition. It is more difficult to pin down exactly what this means. Emerging from ecology, the concept of river health presented an attempt to provide a broad framework for freshwater management incorporating both natural and human values. Initially criticised as subjective and unscientific, river health was nevertheless mainstreamed through being rendered quantifiable. Tracing the (re)definition of river health from a holistic but hazy ethic of environmental care to prescriptive indicators for intervention, I examine how common-sense understandings of river condition were first challenged by, and then incorporated within, the scholarly and political project of river health. Arguing that the search for objectivity entrenched assumptions that naturalness was both desirable and attainable, I explore the potential value of a reimagined, revitalised river health as a constructive platform for renegotiating and broadening what matters for freshwater.

Concerns for river health in the Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) area and shifting priorities for water use have led to a significant process of water reform over the last decade. The MDB area, also known as the food bowl of Australia, produces much of the country's food and is home to a significant portion of the population. A long-term drought, historical over-allocation of water for irrigation and climate variability have led to mounting concerns about the long-term viability of the rivers. While the reform process has resulted in the Commonwealth government taking control of the rivers from the States, it has also been influenced by changes in governments and consequent shifts in water allocation priorities from a privileging of agriculture to a broader approach encompassing economic, environmental and social concerns. This had led to uncertainty for the people and communities in the Basin and some confusion between the various layers of governance structures. This paper presents the results of exp...

In this study, we examine aspects of community values and perspectives on goods and services received from the river along with issues related to sustainable management of the river. The study reveals that the contemporary values placed on rivers by communities are mostly associated with recreational and leisure activities. The distance from the river and age of the participants appeared as the most influential social demographic factors affecting participants' perspectives on river health. The study indicates that people tend to develop a strong bond with the natural resources around them and the amount of time spent at a location is directly related to the strength of this relationship. To assess the general river condition and health, a number of visual indicators (e.g., floating debris) were suggested. If properly standardised and calibrated, such indicators have the potential to develop cost-effective monitoring tools for detecting seasonal and spatial changes in river health.

Just like human health, a river’s health is desired to be measured on a continuum basis. As there is no single measure for human health, there is no single measure for river health as well. Rather, a healthy river is composed of many facets—physical, chemical, biological, and even human. Any river does not have to be a pristine river, untouched by any human development or activities, but a healthy river should be resilient and able to recover from natural and man-made disturbances. A river in the wilderness may rank the highest, but a river flowing through a major metropolitan region is not inherently unhealthy. The traits of an ecologically healthy river will have certain components that will fall within a range that allows the river to maintain its ecosystem functions. India is the second largest country in the world with a population of about 1.28 billion. 33 cities have a population more than a million and about 65 cities on the banks of some major rivers. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has categorized the rivers on the basis of designated best use. Different authors/researchers have assessed the river water quality on the basis of few physical/chemical or biological parameters. However, there are no comprehensive guidelines issued at central or Indian standards level which depict the true river health. Therefore, it is felt that there is a need for comprehensive guidelines at the country level. Keeping this in mind, this study highlights the characteristics of a healthy river. Further, complexities of the river health parameters and problems in the aggregation of these quality parameters are highlighted. It is recommended that the river health of all the major rivers should be assessed on the basis of suggested guidelines. Monitoring and modeling of the river health should be carried out and plans should be made according to the deterioration level of river health. Further, river health improvement program should be prepared keeping in mind the sustainability of such initiative.

Recent developments in water law, policy, and community attitudes in China have created the need for consistent nationwide assessments of river health. River health assessments have been undertaken in various catchments throughout China, but mainly as a research activity. China currently has no ongoing river health assessment programs linked to river management policy operating at any jurisdictional level. This chapter discusses the rationale behind the framework for a national program to assess the health of China's rivers, developed collaboratively over the period 2010–12 by Australian and Chinese scientists, and supported by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) as part of the Australia China Environment Development Partnership (ACEDP). The recommended framework was shaped by Australian experience, and tailored to suit the resources and expertise available in China, the biophysical characteristics of China's rivers, and the key management issues.

Victoria was the first state in Australia to develop an integrated policy framework for improving river health. The 2002 Victorian River Health Strategy (VRHS) outlined the vision for managing rivers in Victoria, statewide targets and a regional decision-making model with community input. As part of the adaptive management approach, a review of the VRHS was undertaken in 2010 to inform development of the next-generation strategy. Following this review a new policy, the Victorian Waterways Management Strategy (VWMS), was developed for the management of Victoria's waterways. New management issues addressed in the VWMS included: wetland, estuary and urban waterway management, Traditional Owner involvement, management of invasive species, and recreational use of waterways. The successful development and implementation of this new policy was underpinned by clear management arrangements, a dedicated fund source, political authorization and partnership with communities. Several challenges remain to be addressed in further iterations of the policy framework.

© 2017 by the author(s). Indigenous involvement in Australian water management is conventionally driven by a top-down approach by nonIndigenous government agencies, that asks “how do we engage Indigenous people?” and has culminated in the ineffective “consult” and “service delivery” processes evident in mainstream water management planning. This is a hopeful paper that identifies the critical importance of a “nation-based” approach for effective Indigenous engagement in water planning and policy through the work undertaken by the Ngarrindjeri Regional Authority (NRA) in the Murray Futures program. The NRA is an Indigenous government in the “settled-south” of Australia. Over past decades, the NRA has developed a range of political technologies that act as tools for redeveloping Ngarrindjeri Nationhood after colonial disempowerment and dispossession. These tools enable better collaboration with nonIndigenous governments, especially in natural resource management policy and practice. In turn, this has better enabled the NRA to exercise a decision-making and planning authority over the lands and waters in its jurisdiction, therefore, more effectively exercising its ongoing duty of care as Country. This paper presents a case study of the Sugar Shack Complex Management Plan, codeveloped by the NRA and the South Australian Government in 2015, to demonstrate the benefits that accrue when Indigenous nations are resourced as authorities responsible for reframing water management and planning approaches to facilitate the equitable collaboration of Indigenous and nonIndigenous worldviews. As a marker of the success of this strategy, the Ngarrindjeri Yarluwar-Ruwe Program, in partnership with the South Australian government, recently won the Australian Riverprize 2015 for delivering excellence in Australian river management.

The development of a decision support system (DSS) to inform policy making has been progressing rapidly. This paper presents a generic framework and the development steps of a decision tool prototype of geographic information systems (GIS)-based decision support system of river health diagnosis (RHD-DSS). This system integrates data, calculation models, and human knowledge of river health status assessment, causal factors diagnosis, and restoration decision making to assist decision makers during river restoration and management in Zhejiang Province, China. Our RHD-DSS is composed of four main elements: the graphical user interface (GUI), the database, the model base, and the knowledge base. It has five functional components: the input module, the database management, the diagnostic indicators management, the assessment and diagnosis, and the visual result module. The system design is illustrated with particular emphasis on the development of the database, model schemas, diagnosis and analytical processing techniques, and map management design. Finally, the application of the prototype RHD-DSS is presented and implemented for Xinjiangtang River of Haining County in Zhejiang Province, China. This case study is used to demonstrate the advantages gained by the application of this system. We conclude that there is great potential for using the RHD-DSS to systematically manage river basins in order to effectively mitigate environmental issues. The proposed approach will provide river managers and designers with improved insight into river degradation conditions, thereby strengthening the assessment process and the administration of human activities in river management.

The assessment of the eco-environmental benefits of rivers has important guiding significance for improving water resource management, establishing water resource protection mechanisms, and maintaining river health. In view of the current imprecise quantitative methods of determining the eco-environmental benefits of rivers and based on the viewpoint of ecology, the significance and composition of river eco-environmental benefits were discussed. An emergy theory was introduced to quantify both the solar transformity of subtypes of water bodies and the sediment transportation benefit, which improved the indicator system of eco-environmental benefits. Applying the indicator system to the management practice of the Yellow River Basin, the eco-environmental benefits in 2015 were calculated by dividing the Yellow River into 66 sections. A Geographic Information System (GIS) atlas was then used to describe their spatial distribution. Eight typical cities were selected for the key analysis. Among these eight cities, the eco-environmental benefit inside the river in Xi’an section is the largest with a total emergy benefit of 1.08 × 1021 solar equivalent joules (sej) and a corresponding monetary benefit of 28.03 Chinese Yuan (¥)/m3. The eco-environmental benefit outside the river in Jinan section is the largest with a total emergy benefit of 1.37 × 1020 sej and a corresponding monetary benefit of 12.39 ¥/m3. This study proposed that rivers have great eco-environmental benefits, and the harmonious development of economy, society, and environment should be pursued in water resources management.

To effectively manage a river system, systematic tracking and diagnosing the change and risks of a river system are essentially required to efficiently conserve or restore its conditions. Hence, this study focuses on how to integrate current status assessment, trend prediction, and cause diagnosis in river health to guide early warning decision-making in river protection and management. This study has presented a three-phase approach by coupling spatial with nonspatial information in a highly systematic and reliable way, and an early warning system has been designed. In phase I, the current health status is assessed and nowcasted by using the order degree of each indicator. In phase II, health predictors, including the single perspective-based health index (HI) (e.g., water quality index (WQI) and index of biotic integrity (IBI)) and multi-perspective-based health index, have been forecasted under normal conditions or emerging conditions using predictive models. In phase III, key causal factors threatening the river health have been identified to enable early notification and to address unexpected events before occurrence. Although different modeling methods can be used in each phase to demonstrate this concept, we tested the model of partial least square regression (PLSR) associated with time series. Additionally, the three-phase approach has been integrated with geographic information system (GIS) and a decision support system (DSS) to develop a river health prediction and early warning system (RHP-EWS), an automatic prediction and decision-making tool. This tool was implemented to deal with the landing of typhoon &ldquo, Maria&rdquo, in 2018 into the Shanxi River watershed in China. Because of the timely responses and decisions, the drinking water supply was not influenced. However, the models should be extended to other river systems for testing and improvement at different temporal or spatial scales.

Along with the rapid development of China’s economy, environmental problems such as water pollution have been prominent. Hence, ‘the New Vision for Development’ was proposed. ‘The New Vision for Development’ complies with the trend of development in today’s world and puts forward new requirements for the development of China nowadays. Meanwhile, the introduction of river health assessment has promoted the development of river management in China. In order to evaluate river health more scientifically and make river management more efficient, this paper defined the connotation of river health evaluation from the view angle of ‘the New Vision for Development’ and adopted the Pressure-State-Response framework concept to establish an evaluation index system. Then the fuzzy evaluation model was constructed through grey clustering and grey correlation analysis. Finally, the applicability of the method was proved through a case study. The study provides an effective method for river health assessment.

River functions consist of water supply, irrigation, power generation, shipping and entertainment. Human beings have attached great attentions to the development and utilization of the social functions of rivers while ignoring the ecological functions. Various human activities have changed the natural state of rivers, resulting in serious degradation of river ecosystem. In this study, a river health evaluation system has been established. Firstly, the river health evaluation system is composed of physical, chemical and biological integrity. Additionally, human activities are considered as a driving force of the ecological evolution of rivers in the evaluation system. Finally, the service function of rivers which can be provided to human society is also represented in the evaluation system. A comprehensive river health evaluation for Yonganxi river in Zhejiang province is executed, the evaluation result reflects the ideal health status of this river. The advantages of the indicators and criteria of the evaluation system are examined and confirmed. The evaluation system will be extended to the provincial river health evaluation in the future.

River managers in Australia are managing in the face of extremes to provide security of water supply for people, production and the environment. Balancing the water requirements of people, environments and economies requires that water security is viewed holistically, not just in terms of the water available for human consumption. Common definitions of water security focus on the needs of both humans and ecosystems for purposes such as drinking, agriculture and industrial use, and to maintain ecological values. Information about achieving water security for the environment or ecological purposes can be a challenge to interpret because the watering requirements of key ecological processes or assets are not well understood, and the links between ecological and human values are often not obvious to water users. Yet the concepts surrounding river health are inherently linked to holistic concepts of water security. The measurement of aquatic biota provides a valuable tool for managers to understand progress toward achieving ecological water security objectives. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the reference condition approach to river health assessment, using the development of the Australian River Assessment System (AUSRIVAS) as a case study. We make the link between the biological assessment of river health and assessment of ecological water security, and suggest that such an approach provides a way of reporting that is relevant to the contribution made by ecosystems to water security. The reference condition approach, which is the condition representative of minimally disturbed sites organized by selected physical, chemical, and biological characteristics, is most important for assessing ecological water security objectives.

Biological indicators play a vital role in monitoring and assessing river health and their selections are, consequently, directly related to the overall success of monitoring programs. In this study, we employed the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to select an appropriate indicator from several indicator candidates. The process was first to form a three level AHP model with four criteria and three indicator alternatives, and then to evaluate the indicator alternatives mathematically, and finally to obtain the most appropriate one with highest values. The use of the proposed model showed that it can be relatively easy to select the most desirable indicator from several candidates. Also, the selection process was performed mathematically which was somewhat transparent.

Our past approach to water management is unlikely to meet growing human water needs in the face of accelerated change to our freshwater ecosystems, let alone address the consequences of continuing environmental decline. The aim of this “grand challenge” article is to highlight what can be done to address these problems, from global scale governance initiatives to local-scale on-ground actions, aimed at tackling problems at their source. I also wish to explore what more we can do to improve engagement among the scientific and technical disciplines with interests in freshwater management, and more effectively communicate the cause and consequence of these problems, and possible solutions to them, to decision makers and the broader community.

The Hawkesbury River is a valuable community asset. In the last 200 years there have been continuous and significant changes which have resulted in declining river health and impacts on community values. Management processes which purport to arrest this decline and provide protection or improvements to the quality of the Hawkesbury River were reviewed in light of community concerns and available water quality analysis data. Clear responses in waterway condition can be linked to catchment activities and some management processes to improve river health. It appears however, many such management practices have not been assessed or are not capable of assessment. The development of a framework to assess future management proposals for protection and remediation of the Hawkesbury River is proposed.

Determination of main impact factors of river health is important to river management, ecological rehabilitation and construction. Based on the definition of river health in China, the factors were divided into two categories, that is, endogenous factors and exogenous factors. The method used to main impact factor analysis was suggested which is based on the relation between the factors and the partial least squares regression. The model was applied to analyze main impact factors of river health of the lancun-Yitang reach in the middle Fenhe River. The result shows that the proposed model can reflect the actual situation.

Scientific monitoring of river health is well established and has a significant role to play in environmental assessment by communities, managers and policy makers. Cultural indicators help to articulate cultural values, assess the state of the environment from a cultural perspective and assist with establishing a role for Māori in environmental monitoring. We reviewed the philosophies behind cultural and scientific monitoring of river health and compared the results from the two approaches at 25 sites in the Motueka and Riwaka catchments. Both scientific and cultural indicators suggested a decrease in river health in relation to increased land-use pressure. There were also correlations between the results from the two approaches suggesting cultural indicators could be used in a similar manner as scientific indicators to set environmental benchmarks. Using scientific approaches alongside culturally based monitoring provides a wealth of knowledge to understand better what we mean by river health. The two a...

To complement physical measures or indices of river health a social benchmarking instrument has been developed to measure community dispositions and behaviour regarding river health. This instrument seeks to achieve three outcomes. First, to provide a benchmark of the social condition of communities' attitudes, values, understanding and behaviours in relation to river health; second, to provide information for developing management and educational priorities; and third, to provide an assessment of the long-term effectiveness of community education and engagement activities in achieving changes in attitudes, understanding and behaviours in relation to river health. In this paper the development of the social benchmarking instrument is described and results are presented from the first state-wide benchmark study in Victoria, Australia, in which the social dimensions of river health, community behaviours related to rivers, and community understanding of human impacts on rivers were assessed.

This study explored the possibility of bridging the gap of inadequate assessment of rivers by considering the measurement of river health by developing a river health (RH) index. RH assessment is a crucial component of the strategy to protect, conserve and enhance the Philippine river systems. Through developing an integrative RH index, it can provide a systematic and standardized method of assessment which encompasses not only the physico-chemical aspects of rivers in terms of water quality but also their biological components. Participatory approach among experts was considered to come up with the weights and arrive with the scoring scheme for each identified indicators and sub-indicators of RH. Primary data from Ylang-Ylang River were gathered following standard sampling protocol and species identification. The study reveals that the current system of assessment of rivers in the Philippines focuses only on water quality and generally does not consider the assessment of biological indicators which are significant gauge of a river’s ecological integrity – river health.The level of significance in indicating RH between physico-chemical and biological parameters is equally important based on experts’ opinion. The developed RH index is recommended to be utilized by several government agencies and private institutions to practice holistic river monitoring towards sustainability. The developed RH index can be applied to other rivers in the Philippines or even other countries. Improvement of this study may include the specification of the frequency of collecting the primary data and consideration of social aspects. Keywords: river health, water quality, biological indicators, index

In Malaysia, urban riparian refers to river reserve that reflects green space. As surviving greenery space amidst concrete jungle, urban riparian is essential for safe-keeping the river health, the surrounding environment, and the well-being of urbanites. The existing developments found by the Malaysian riversides are already in place prior to river reserves establishment, thus constricting expansion and synchronisation due to its guidelines applied in isolation within several related agencies. Prior studies have highlighted the potential of riparian vegetation as a viable method that lowers the temperature within urban space. Hence, this paper probes into the potential of river reserve as a passive cooling strategy by determining the vegetation technical requirements from the light of urban river physical planning and design guidelines in Malaysia. Thus, this study outlines the possibility of integration by comparing vegetation requirements for river buffer with vegetation function and ability in altering radiation, as well as heat transfer, through physical attributes. By focusing on vegetation physical structure, the riparian area can attain multiple functions and benefits. Thus, this finding serves as a basis for integration of passive cooling strategies with vegetation requirements for urban river reserve, and for further studies that investigate other essential physical attributes.

Natural resource management (NRM) organisations in Australia are increasingly recognising the need for complement studies of biophysical condition of the environment with studies of social condition, such as values, understanding, and participation related to the environment. Relevant and reliable social indicators that can be scaled and measured on a regular basis are essential to meet this need. In this study, we identified four indicators to test the social condition of the public in the State of Victoria in Australia with regard to river health. These indicators were river use, river knowledge and literacy, values and aspirations, and river health behaviours. We tested the four indicators through telephone and web-based surveys with over 1000 people in three areas of Victoria. We analysed the survey data statistically and gathered baseline data on the social condition of river health in the three regions. We made recommendations for how this data could be interpreted and used in community engagement and science communication programmes about river health. We also examined the limitations of the methodology and recommended modifications to the survey design and application for an anticipated roll-out of the survey across the entire State of Victoria. The Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) will use this survey instrument to test social indicators on a regular basis.

Due to the increasingly serious ecological degradation of river systems, the river health research has attracted more and more attention of the researchers and decision-makers. This paper aims to integrate the fuzzy assessment method with analytic hierarchy process to establish the integrative fuzzy hierarchical assessment model, thus combing qualitative analysis and quantitative assessment and overcoming the disadvantages of subjectivity of the previous evaluation methods. The results show that the proposed assessment method is able to reveal how the river system is disturbed by human activities. Finally, the integrative fuzzy hierarchical method is validated and applied to the case study of Yong River in Ningbo City, China.

Reliable indicators of water quality and river health are often difficult and expensive to derive. This paper reports on a process to develop a low technology, scientifically reliable and robust technique to monitor water quality in rivers and streams. With these requirements in mind the authors set about developing a simplified method of biomonitoring based on the tried and tested SASS (South African Scoring System) technique. This involved reducing the taxonomic complexity of SASS to a few aquatic invertebrate 'groupings' which would act as surrogates for the complete suite of SASS taxa. To be efficient the technique had to satisfy the following requirements: 1. minimise the number of aquatic invertebrate groupings necessary to perform miniSASS; 2. aquatic invertebrate groups should be easily identifiable; 3. the method should be robust and produce results comparable to the full SASS technique; and 4. be geographically widely applicable. These requirements were met in this development and for a large se...

The Mid North Rivers Management Planning Project (MNRMPP) of the Environment Protection Agency, Department for Environment and Heritage began as a response to community concerns regarding watercourse related issues in the Mid North of South Australia. In response to these concerns the MNRMPP project team developed rapid, cost effective methods to collect and assess data, establish collaborative partnerships with stakeholder organisations, ensure community involvement, and initiate mechanisms to sustain local involvement past the life of the project. Environmental water requirements were identified, along with key watercourse management issues; the integration of these two components of the study enabled more informed decision making regarding watercourse management within the study area. The integration of these components and the involvement of the community and stakeholders through all components of the project has resulted in a sense of ownership and an increase in awareness of watercourse related issues. This has increased the prospect of individuals and organisations implementing the management options and priorities identified within the plan, and has promoted the long term involvement of these groups in better watercourse management.

The assessment of biota in rivers is a widely recognised means of determining the condition or ‘health’ of rivers. Benthic macroinvertebrates, in particular, are recognised as valuable organisms for bioassessments, due largely to their visibility to the naked eye, ease of identification, rapid life cycle often based on the seasons and their largely sedentary habits. Numerous bioassessment techniques have been developed over the last three decades, varying in complexity and region of implementation. South Africa has an exemplary history in this field, culminating in the refinement of invertebrate and other techniques and their application in a National River Health Programme. The method presented here is a refinement of the highly successful SASS (South African Scoring System) method developed by Chutter (1994), which forms the backbone of this programme. This paper takes the method to a level where it can, and has been, accredited to ISO standards. The principal changes made include the tighter definition...

International audience; Sensitive biological measures of river ecosystem quality are needed to assess, maintain or restore ecological conditions of water bodies. Since our understanding of these complex systems is imperfect, decision-making requires recognizing uncertainty. In this study, a new predictive multi-metric index based on fish functional traits was developed to assess French rivers. Information on fish assemblage structure, local environment and human-induced disturbances of 1654 French river sites was compiled. A Bayesian framework was used to predict theoretical metric values in absence of human pressure and to estimate the uncertainty associated with these predictions. The uncertainty associated with the index score gives the confidence associated with the evaluation of site ecological conditions. Among the 228 potential metrics tested, only 11 were retained for the index computation. The final index is independent from natural variability and sensitive to human-induced disturbances. In particular, it is affected by the accumulation of different degradations and specific degradations including hydrological perturbations. Predictive uncertainty is globally lower for IPR+ than for underlying metrics. This new methodology seems appropriate to develop bio-indication tools accounting for uncertainty related to reference condition definition and could be extended to other biological groups and areas. Our results support the use of multi-metric indexes to assess rivers and strengthen the idea that examination of uncertainty could contribute greatly to the improvement of the assessment power of bio-indicators.

In an attempt to meet the requirement of the new South African Water law a number of initiatives are under way to determine the flow requirements for our rivers. An essential component of this initiative is the determination of the influence of changing flows on instream habitat. Two components need to be assessed: change in the aerial extent of habitat and change in habitat diversity. This paper presents a technique that aims to address qualitative and quantitative changes in instream habitat in response to changing flow discharge. A hydraulic biotope classification based on a matrix of substrate and flow type has been developed by the authors in collaboration with stream ecologists. Hydraulic biotope diversity was studied in the Buffalo River, Eastern Cape province, and results show how the composition of hydraulic biotopes depends on both the channel morphology and the discharge. These findings complement parallel studies carried out by Padmore and Newson in the United Kingdom. The classification syste...

The recognition of the Reserve by the new South African Water Law poses new challenges for river scientists. The ecological water requirement or environmental flow is recognised by that part of the Reserve known as the ecological Reserve. If the ecological Reserve is to be implemented, it must first be defined and quantified for all river systems subject to water related developments. Standard procedures are being developed through the Resource Directed Measures (RDM) of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry while monitoring the health of South Africa's rivers is taking place through the National River Health Programme (NRHP). Cost effective methods of developing spatial frameworks for both the RDM and NRHP are required. Concepts of longitudinal river zonation were developed by river ecologists in the 1960s and 1970s to assist in the classification of ecologically uniform stretches of rivers. This paper reviews the different zonation concepts and presents a geomorphological classification ...

Watershed rehabilitation affects a large array of variables: ecological, economic, cultural, and sociopolitical. Synoptic approaches aim at accounting for “everything” relevant by specifying the watershed and objectives for its development unambiguously. One could then calculate the optimal state of the watershed and use experts to specify the means for achieving this state. The development and use of integrating concepts such as “ecosystem health,” a “living river,” or “river health” that aim at describing the overall state of the watershed and general objectives for its improvement may appear to support the synoptic approach. The present study shows that the synoptic approaches and the integrating concepts are partly incompatible. The integrating concepts evolve continuously and cannot as such yield a complete objective calculation that would specify an optimal level of rehabilitation. The integrating concepts are mainly useful in a context of communicative planning that accepts and encourages their evolution as new knowledge is gained and as stakeholders interact. Large-scale rehabilitation, therefore, must be supported by processes and institutional arrangements that facilitate specification of the desired states at the watershed level. The present study provides an example of such a process and the corresponding institutional arrangement.

Summary 1. Society benefits immeasurably from rivers. Yet over the past century, humans have changed rivers dramatically, threatening river health. As a result, societal well-being is also threatened because goods and services critical to human society are being depleted. 2. ‘Health’— shorthand for good condition (e.g. healthy economy, healthy communities) — is grounded in science yet speaks to citizens. 3. Applying the concept of health to rivers is a logical outgrowth of scientific principles, legal mandates, and changing societal values. 4. Success in protecting the condition, or health, of rivers depends on realistic models of the interactions of landscapes, rivers, and human actions. 5. Biological monitoring and biological endpoints provide the most integrative view of river condition, or river health. Multimetric biological indices are an important and relatively new approach to measuring river condition. 6. Effective multimetric indices depend on an appropriate classification system, the selection of metrics that give reliable signals of river condition, systematic sampling protocols that measure those biological signals, and analytical procedures that extract relevant biological patterns. 7. Communicating results of biological monitoring to citizens and political leaders is critical if biological monitoring is to influence environmental policies. 8. Biological monitoring is essential to identify biological responses to human actions. By using the results to describe the condition, or health, of rivers and their adjacent landscapes and to diagnose causes of degradation, we can develop restoration plans, estimate the ecological risks associated with land use plans in a watershed, or select among alternative development options to minimize river degradation.

Summary 1. Indicators are crucial to many socio-political schemes for portraying environmental influences of society. For example, the OECD model for State of the Environment Reporting uses three different sorts of indicators (pressure, condition, response) to differentiate the present condition of the environment from the anthropogenic pressures upon it and from any societal responses made to alleviate those pressures (thereby improving aspects of the overall condition). 2. These sorts of indicators have a fundamental technical basis in the science supporting their exposition and usage. However, the criteria used in interpreting the indicator values are likely to be set by considerations that go beyond scientific grounds. That is, indicators are socially determined in the end. However, many scientists find it difficult to involve the public in such reporting. 3. Scientists who are uncomfortable with this non-technical use of their indicator constructs should recognize that it is merely another manifestation of the overall broadening of environmental concern termed ‘ecosystem health’. The emerging field of ecosystem health seeks to take our technical understanding of how the environment functions and combine it with socio-economic goals, using a human health metaphor and an ethical underpinning. 4. River health might be better served by adopting a veterinary approach rather than the model of human health. This is because, like animals, riverine environments come in many different forms and cannot complain of ill health. Desirable interventions will vary with the uses to which we wish to put a river and our reasons for being concerned about a river’s health. A framework for this diagnostic approach is presented. 5. An enormous challenge lies ahead in integrating the various measurements of riverine attributes that might together constitute ‘river health’. We need ways to cater for the pluralism of modern societies, and we need more dynamic assessments of river condition, possibly founded on studies of key ecological processes.

Assessing the ecological integrity of freshwater ecosystems has become a priority to protect the threatened biodiversity they hold and secure future accessibility to the services they provide. Some of the most widespread applications of biological indicators are fish-based indices. These have mostly mirrored the approach proposed by Karr 30 years ago (Index of Biotic Integrity; IBI), based on the comparison of observed and expected composition and structure of local fish assemblages in the absence of major perturbations, using the so-called reference condition approach. Despite the notable success of the implementation of fish-based indices, most of them overlook non-native species as a source of ecosystem degradation, and evaluations are focused on the physico-chemical condition of freshwater ecosystems and their effects on freshwater biodiversity. Almost 90% of 83 reviewed IBIs did not consider non-native species when defining reference conditions. Most IBIs used non-native species in conjunction with native ones to construct the metrics that conform to the index. The response of the IBI to the effect of non-native species has hardly ever been tested. When developing and evaluating IBIs, attention was mostly directed to ensuring the correct response of the index to physico- chemical parameters, which could otherwise be characterized more effectively using alternative methods. Current application of IBIs entails a misuse of biological indicators by overlooking some types of degradation that cannot be otherwise evaluated by traditional methods. This constrains the capacity to adequately respond to one of the most challenging and common threats to the conservation of freshwater fish diversity.

ing overmuch water from rivers to provide services like hydropower has greatly damaged river ecosystem. Therefore, restoration of the degraded river ecosystem is very urgent. A lot of methods have thereby been proposed, and partial restoration of natural flow is a kind of prescription in reality. During the restoration process, to monitor or evaluate the health of river is very important and necessary. Traditional methods to assess the condition are structural or physicochemical ones and their powers are limited. Therefore, in our study, we tried to employ some functional indicators, which are critical parts of the ecosystem, to monitor the river health based on a reference-control-impact (RCI) design. Results showed that the partial restoration of flow was effective and the functional indicators were better than the traditional ones.

An authentic approach to river rehabilitation emphasizes concerns for the natural values of a given place. As landscape considerations fashion the physical template upon which biotic associations take place, various geomorphic issues must be addressed in framing rehabilitation activities that strive to improve river health. An open-ended approach to river classification promotes applications that appreciate the values of a given river, rather than pigeonholing reality. As the geomorphic structure of some rivers is naturally simple, promoting heterogeneity as a basis for management may not always be appropriate. Efforts to protect unique attributes of river systems must be balanced with procedures that look after common features. Concerns for ecosystem functionality must relate to the behavioral regime of a given river, remembering that some rivers are inherently sensitive to disturbance. Responses to human disturbance must be viewed in relation to natural variability, recognizing how spatial relationships in a catchment, and responses to past disturbances, fashion the operation of contemporary fluxes. These fluxes, in turn, influence what is achievable in the rehabilitation of a given reach. Given the inherently adjusting and evolutionary nature of river systems, notional endpoints do not provide an appropriate basis upon which to promote concepts of naturalness and place in the rehabilitation process. These themes are drawn together to promote rehabilitation practices that relate to the natural values of each river system, in preference to applications of "cookbook" measures that build upon textbook geomorphology.

The assessment of rivers health is the foundation of environmental management and ecosystem monitoring. The river health status can be determined through a holistic appraisal of rivers and their surrounds. An more all-sided assessment index system of river health has been built, four components of the rivers health include: water quality, stream physics condition, streamside zone and social services power. It will make contributions to river management.

The assessment of river health is one of the hotspots in the current river ecology research. The scientific connotation of river health is discussed from the viewpoints of natural and social properties of rivers. The health of a river is regarded as the appraisal of its life and the assessment of its current situation. A health river must be a river with equilibrium of natural function and social function. The evaluation indicators system for river health is established based on international and national research of river health, following scientific, practical and concise principles. It includes an objectives layer, a rule layer with 5 factors and an indicator layer with 20 defined indexes. The integrative assessment model of river health assessment is proposed exploringly, together with five-grade identification standard described as “very healthy, healthy, sub-healthy, unhealthy and sick”.

Due to the fact that South Africa is a water-scarce country, integrated water resource management based on sound information is essential. Bio-indicators have provided valuable information for water resource management in recent years and have enjoyed increasing popularity. Bio-indicators especially stepped to the forefront with the realisation that aquatic eco-systems are not only a source of water but also deliver several goods and services, as well as being essential for industrial growth and quality of life of many South Africans. This study aimed to quantitatively test two kinds of biomonitoring tools namely diatom-based (SPI and BDI) and macro-invertebrate based (SASS 5) in order to assess their applicability in South African River systems; and whether any additional information can be gained by using the two tools in tandem. The results showed that diatom indices are affected more by changes in water quality than SASS 5, while SASS 5 displayed a higher dependency on habitat quality, as measured by IHAS, than the diatom indices. It is therefore suggested that the two indices be utilised as complementary indicators for integrated assessment of river health. http://search.sabinet.co.za/WebZ/Authorize?sessionid=0&next=ej/ej_content_waters.html&bad=error/authofail.html

With the rapid population growth, ecological pressure caused by human activities on rivers is growing. Decision makers are often faced with the dilemma of how to maintain economic growth while also maintaining the resources of a river and its environment. In this study, a model has been proposed for the assessment of river–human relationship. The method establishes a complete index system to quantify the abstraction of river–human relationship and evaluation. The model provides a comprehensive assessment of river basin human–water relationship through 21 indicators and three dimensions, which include river health, human development and human–river coordination. The analytic hierarchy process is used to determine the index weights. This model is applied in Wei River Basin, northwestern China, where the present situation is evaluated along with finding the advantages and shortcomings. Thus the study provides a method for future development and water management.

In the United States the average annual investment in river restoration programs is approximately $1 billion. Despite this burgeoning industry, the National Water Quality Inventory, which tracks the health of the nation's rivers, has shown no serious improvement in cumulative river health since the early 1990s. In the AGU monographStream Restoration in Dynamic Fluvial Systems: Scientific Approaches, Analyses, and Tools, editors Andrew Simon, Sean J. Bennett, and Janine M. Castro pull together the latest evidence-based understanding of stream restoration practices, with an aim of guiding the further development of the field and helping to right its apparently unsuccessful course. In this interview, Eos talks to Sean J. Bennett, University of Buffalo, about the culture, practice, and promise of restoring rivers.

Water markets are developing as part of a Council of Australian Governments initiative to promote an efficient use of Australia's water resources. The consequences of these policies on river health is yet to be fully understood, but recognised as having significant interrelationships which need to be explored. This paper examines the consequences of introducing trade and allocating water for environmental use in the Border Rivers region of Queensland. The results of this study suggest that: (1) trade in water entitlements is likely to increase the differential between extractive demand and historical flow regimes as extractive water-use concentrates on the most profitable crops, and (2) water markets are likely to limit the effectiveness of water policies aimed at restoring natural flow regimes. As a result, trade-offs between environmental needs and income from extractive use will need to be determined. This work is important and timely in water-policy development demonstrating the linkages and trade-offs between ecological and economic objectives.

A prototype decision support system has been developed to assess the environmental outcomes of proposed flow regimes for the regulated, lowland floodplain rivers of the Murray-Darling Basin in Australia. The DSS assesses the environmental outcomes of proposed flow regimes primarily by providing integrated assessments of river health at different spatial scales based on the outputs from riverine habitat condition and riverine nuisance species models. These models rely on data from river hydrology simulation models — both within and external to the DSS. The current version of the software includes three models of riverine habitat condition: native fish, floodplain vegetation, and waterbird breeding. The only riverine nuisance species model currently included is a model to predict the severity of blue-green algal blooms. In this paper a brief description of the DSS framework and the nature of the underlying models is provided. The paper focuses on describing the methods used to integrate the individual model outputs into overall river health assessments.