A new framework for river restoration planning at catchment scale in the UK

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dc.contributor.authorRobins, Joshua Edward
dc.contributor.authorNaura, Marc
dc.contributor.authorAustin, Sam
dc.contributor.authorBryden, Alexandra
dc.contributor.authorCullis, Jo
dc.contributor.authorPrady, Jane
dc.contributor.authorShi, Fang
dc.contributor.authorTreves, Richard
dc.date.accessioned2025-01-10T10:48:41Z
dc.date.available2025-01-10T10:48:41Z
dc.date.freetoread2025-01-10
dc.date.issued2024-12-31
dc.date.pubOnline2024-12-22
dc.description.abstractThe main aim of catchment planning is to prioritise measures that will reverse the decline of biological communities. In recent decades, there has been an increase in methods, tools and the availability of data to aid this process. However, how we use data to make decisions is the crucial and often neglected part of catchment planning, and there is sometimes a tendency to revert to reach‐scale opportunism rather than planning at the catchment scale. Planning approaches in the UK have ranged from public sector–led plans in the 1990s to the present‐day partnership approach led by the third sector (non‐governmental charitable or not‐for‐profit organisations). We have reviewed 237 catchment plans from the UK to understand the approaches that have been taken. Our findings indicate that many plans do not clearly link evidence and data to decision‐making; problems are poorly defined using broad terms such as ‘issues’ instead of characterising pressures and impacts; catchment objectives tend to be broad and not specific; measures are often prioritised based on opportunity; and it is not always clear how measures are expected to contribute to the achievement of catchment targets. Altogether, we noted the absence of agreed, standardised frameworks for producing plans, describing how data should be analysed, problems identified and actions prioritised. We propose a new catchment planning framework that encourages evidence‐based decisions through the assessment of pressures and impacts, and ultimately the prioritisation of river restoration options (encompassing rehabilitation, renaturalisation, enhancement, re‐creation and mitigation of the hydrology, water quality and geomorphology of the river, floodplain and wider catchment) based on their contribution to the alleviation of catchment‐scale impacts, and which can be applied by nonspecialists using citizen science data.
dc.description.journalNameRiver Research and Applications
dc.identifier.citationRobins JE, Naura M, Austin S, et al., (2024) A new framework for river restoration planning at catchment scale in the UK. River Research and Applications, Available online 22 December 2024
dc.identifier.eissn1535-1467
dc.identifier.elementsID561694
dc.identifier.issn1535-1459
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1002/rra.4408
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/23367
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherWiley
dc.publisher.urihttps://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/rra.4408
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectcatchment-scale
dc.subjectplanning
dc.subjectriver restoration
dc.subjectstrategies
dc.subject3707 Hydrology
dc.subject31 Biological Sciences
dc.subject3103 Ecology
dc.subject4104 Environmental Management
dc.subject37 Earth Sciences
dc.subject41 Environmental Sciences
dc.subjectMarine Biology & Hydrobiology
dc.subject3103 Ecology
dc.subject3707 Hydrology
dc.subject4104 Environmental management
dc.titleA new framework for river restoration planning at catchment scale in the UK
dc.typeArticle
dc.type.subtypeJournal Article
dcterms.dateAccepted2024-11-18

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