Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Assessing the Restoration Success of River Widenings: A Landscape Approach

  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

During the last 200 years, many rivers in industrialized countries have been modified by canalization. In the last two decades, the philosophy of river management has changed considerably, and restoration of ecological integrity has become an important management goal. One appealing restoration approach is to create “river widenings” that permit braiding within a limited area. This study presents a new and efficient framework for rapidly assessing such widening projects and offers a novel method to comparing restored sites with near-natural stretches (stencil technique). The proposed framework evaluates spatial patterns of riparian habitat types using landscape metrics as indicators. Three case studies from river restoration (river widening) in Switzerland are presented for demonstration purposes.

The method compares restored sites with prerestoration conditions and near-natural conditions, which are assumed to represent the worst and best case states of a river system. To take into account the limited spatial extent of the restored sites, the so-called “stencil technique” was developed, where the landscape metrics of the near-natural reference sites are calculated for both the entire study area and smaller sections (clips). The clips are created by using a stencil that has the exact shape and size of the restored area (random window-sampling technique). Subsequently, the calculated metrics for the restored sites are compared to the range of values calculated for the near-natural data subset.

Our studies show that the proposed method is easy to apply andprovides a valid way to assess the restoration success of river widenings. We found that river widenings offer real opportunities for establishing riparian habitats. However, they promote mainly pioneer successional stages and the habitat mosaic of the restored section is more complex than at the near-natural reference sites.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Literature Cited

  • C. Amoros (2001) ArticleTitleThe concept of habitat diversity between and within ecosystems applied to river side-arm restoration Environmental Management 28 805–817 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s002670010263 Occurrence Handle11915968

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • T. Blaschke J. Petch (1999) Landscape structure and scale: comparative studies on some landscape indices in Germany and the UK M. Maudsley J. Marshall (Eds) Heterogeneity in landscape ecology: Pattern and scale IALE UK Bristol, UK 75–84

    Google Scholar 

  • J. A. Browder L. N. May A. Rosenthal J. G. Gosselink R. H. Baumann (1989) ArticleTitleModeling future-trends in wetland loss and brown shrimp production in Louisiana using thematic mapper imagery Remote Sensing of Environment 28 45–52 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0034-4257(89)90104-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. Brunke (2002) ArticleTitleFloodplains of a regulated southern alpine river (Brenno, Switzerland): Ecological assessment and conservation options Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 12 583–599 Occurrence Handle10.1002/aqc.544

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. Bürgi E. W. B. Russell (2001) ArticleTitleIntegrative methods to study landscape changes Land Use Policy 18 9–16 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0264-8377(00)00041-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P. Downs (2001) Geomorphological evaluation of river restoration schemes: Principles, method, monitoring, assessment, evaluation. Progress? H. J. Nijland M. J. R. Cals (Eds) River restoration in Europe: practical approaches Institute for Inland Water Management and Waste Water Treatment / RIZA Lelystad, the Netherlands 243–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Elkie, P.C., R.S. Rempel, and A.P. Carr. 1999. Patch Analyst User’s Manual. A Tool for Quantifying Landscape Structure. Ontarion Ministry of Natural Resources NWST Technical Manual TM-001. Thunder Bay, Ontario

  • R. T. T. Forman M. Godron (1986) Landscape ecology John Wiley & Sons New York

    Google Scholar 

  • R. E. Freeman E. H. Stanley M. G. Turner (2003) ArticleTitleAnalysis and conservation implications of landscape change in the Wisconsin River floodplain, USA Ecological Applications 13 416–431

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Frohn (1998) Remote sensing for landscape ecology. New metric indicators for monitoring, modeling and assessment of ecosystems Lewis Publishers Boca Raton, Florida

    Google Scholar 

  • Gallandat, J.-D., Gobat, J.-M., and Roulier, C. 1993. Kartierung der Auen von nationaler Bedeutung. Vol. 199, Schriftenreihe Umwelt, Bundesamt für Umwelt, Wald und Landschaft (BUWAL). Federal Printing Office, Bern

  • S. E. Gergel M. G. Turner J. R. Miller J. M. Melack E. H. Stanley (2002) ArticleTitleLandscape indicators of human impacts to riverine systems Aquatic Science 64 118–128 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s00027-002-8060-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D. Gilvear K. Heal A. Stephen (2002) ArticleTitleHydrology and the ecological quality of Scottish river ecosystems Science of the Total Environment 294 131–159 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0048-9697(02)00060-8 Occurrence Handle12169003

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • E J. Gustafson (1998) ArticleTitleQuantifying landscape spatial pattern: what is the state of the art? Ecosystems 1 143–156 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s100219900011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • T. Hamazaki (1996) ArticleTitleEffects of patch shape on the number of organisms Landscape Ecology 11 299–306

    Google Scholar 

  • C. Henry C. Amoros N. Roset (2002) ArticleTitleRestoration ecology of riverine wetlands: A 5-year post-operation survey on the Rhone River, France Ecological Engeneering 18 543–554 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0925-8574(02)00019-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D. Hering H. Plachter (1997) ArticleTitleRiparian ground beetles (Coleoptera, Carabidae) preying on aquatic invertebrates: A feeding strategy in alpine floodplains Oecologia 111 261–270 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s004420050234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • F. Herzog A. Lausch E. Müller H.-H. Thulke U. Steinhard S. Lehmann (2001) ArticleTitleLandscape metrics for assessment of landscape destruction and rehabilitation Environmental Management 27 91–107 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s002670010136 Occurrence Handle11083911

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O. Honnay K. Piessens W. Van Landuyt ParticleVan M. Hermy H. Gulinck (2003) ArticleTitleSatellite based land use and landscape complexity indices as predictors for regional plant species diversity Landscape and Urban Planning 63 241–250 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0169-2046(02)00194-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • C. T. Hunsaker R. V. O’Neill B. L. Jackson S. P. Timmins D. A. Levine D. A. Norton (1994) ArticleTitleSampling to characterize landscape pattern Landscape Ecology 9 207–226 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00134748

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S. A. Innis R. J. Naiman S. R. Elliott (2000) ArticleTitleIndicators and assessment methods for measuring the ecological integrity of semi-aquatic terrestrial environments Hydrobiologia 422/423 111–131 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1017033226325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • E. B. D. Jones G. S. Helfman O. J. Harper P. V. Bolstad (1999) ArticleTitleEffects of riparian forest removal on fish assemblages in southern Appalachian streams Conservation Biology 16 1454–1465 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1523-1739.1999.98172.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. R. Karr D. R. Dudley (1981) ArticleTitleEcological perspectives on water quality goals Environmental Management 5 55–68 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF01866609

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. G. Kondolf E. R. Micheli (1995) ArticleTitleEvaluating stream restoration projects Environmental Management 19 1–15

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Lamprecht (1992) Biologische Forschung: Von der Planung bis zur Publikation. Vol. 73, Pareys Studientexte Verlag Paul Parey Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Lausch H.-H. Thulke (2001) The analysis of spatio-temporal dynamics of landscape structures R. Krönert U. Steinhard M. Volk (Eds) Landscape balance and landscape assessment Springer-Verlag Berlin 113–136

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Lausch F. Herzog (2002) ArticleTitleApplicability of landscape metrics for the monitoring of landscape change: Issues of scale, resolution and interpretability Ecological Indicators 2 3–15 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S1470-160X(02)00053-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • H. Li J. F. Reynolds (1994) ArticleTitleA simulation experiment to quantify spatial heterogeneity in categorical maps Ecology 75 2446–2455

    Google Scholar 

  • G. P. Malanson (1995) Riparian landscapes Cambridge University Press Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • McGarigal, K., and Marks, B. 1995. FRAGSTATS: Spatial pattern analysis program for quantifying landscape structure, US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station Gen. Tech. Rep. PNW-ETR-351

  • J. N. Miller R. P. Brooks M. J. Croonquist (1997) ArticleTitleEffects of landscape patterns on biotic communities Landscape Ecology 3 137–153 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1007970716227

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • A. M. Milner (1996) System recovery G. Petts P. Calow (Eds) River restoration Blackwell Science Ltd. Oxford 67–76

    Google Scholar 

  • D. J. Mladenoff T. A. Sickley R. G. Haight A. P. Wydeven (1995) ArticleTitleA regional landscape analysis and prediction of favorable gray wolf habitat in the Northern Great Lakes Region Conservation Biology 9 279–294 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1523-1739.1995.9020279.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R. J. Naiman H. Décamps M. Pollock (1993) ArticleTitleThe role of riparian corridors in maintaining regional biodiversity Ecological Applications 3 209–212

    Google Scholar 

  • C. Nilsson M. Svedmark (2002) ArticleTitleBasic principles and ecological consequences of changing water regimes: Riparian plant communities Environmental Management 30 468–480 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s00267-002-2735-2 Occurrence Handle12481914

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • B. Pedroli G. de Blust Particlede K. Van Looy Particlevan S. Van Rooij Particlevan (2002) ArticleTitleSetting targets in strategies for river restoration Landscape Ecology 17 IssueIDSuppl.1 5–18 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1015221425315

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G. Petts P. Calow (Eds) (1996) River restoration Blackwell Science Ltd Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • S. T. A. Pickett M. L. Cadenasso (1995) ArticleTitleLandscape ecology: Spatial heterogeneity in ecological systems Science 269 331–334

    Google Scholar 

  • G. Pinay J. C. Clément R. J. Naiman (2002) ArticleTitleBasic principles and ecological consequences of changing water regimes on nitrogen cycling in fluvial systems Environmental Management 30 481–491 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s00267-002-2736-1 Occurrence Handle12481915

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • K. A. Poiani B. D. Richter M. G. Anderson H. E. Richter (2000) ArticleTitleBiodiversity conservation at multiple scales: functional sites, landscapes, and networks BioSciense 50 133–146

    Google Scholar 

  • F. Potvin K. Lowell M.-J. Fortin L. Bélanger (2001) ArticleTitleHow to test habitat selection at the home range scale: A resampling random windows technique Ecoscience 8 399–406

    Google Scholar 

  • Y. Qi J. Wu (1996) ArticleTitleEffects of changing spatial resolution on the results of landscape patterns analysis using spatial autocorrelation indices Landscape Ecology 11 39–49

    Google Scholar 

  • L.L. Rempel J. S. Richardson M. C. Healey (1999) ArticleTitleFlow refugia for benthic invertebrates during flooding of a large river Journal of the North American Benthological Society 18 34–48

    Google Scholar 

  • K. H. Riitters R. V. O’Neill C. T. Hunsaker D. H. Wickham D. H. Yankee S. P. Timmins K. B. Jones B. L. Jackson (1995) ArticleTitleA factor analysis of landscape pattern and structure metrics Landscape Ecology 10 23–29 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00158551

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • W. J. Ripple D. H. Johnson C. E. Meslow (1991) ArticleTitleOld-growth and mature forests near spotted owl nests in western Oregon Journal of Wildlife Management 55 316–318

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Saura J. Martinez-Millan (2001) ArticleTitleSensitivity of landscape pattern metrics to map spatial extent Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing 67 1027–1036

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Thomson M. Taylor K. Fryirs G. Brierley (2001) ArticleTitleA geomorphological framework for river characterization and habitat assessment Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 11 373–389 Occurrence Handle10.1002/aqc.467

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. G. Turner R. H. Gardner R. V. O’Neill (2001) Landscape ecology in theory and practice. Pattern and process Springer-Verlag New York

    Google Scholar 

  • M. G. Turner R. V. O’Neill R. H. Gardner B. T. Milne (1989) ArticleTitleEffects of changing spatial scale on the analysis of landscape pattern Landscape Ecology 3 153–162 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00131534

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D. E. Weller T. E. Jordan D. L. Correll (1998) ArticleTitleHeuristic models for material discharge from landscapes with riparian buffers Ecological Applications 8 1156–1169

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Wintersberger (1996) ArticleTitleSpatial resource utilisation and species assemblages of larval and juvenile fish Archiv für Hydrobiologie 115 IssueIDSuppl. 29–44

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank P. Englmaier and F. Herzog for helpful feedback on an earlier draft and M. W. Doyle, A. R. G. Large, M. G. Turner, and two anonymous reviewers for their extended comments and suggestions, which greatly improved the manuscript. We are also grateful to C. Ginzler for advice in the process of converting aerial photographs to orthophotos.

This study is part of the Rhone-Thur-Project funded by the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, the Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology (EAWAG), the Swiss Federal Office for Water and Geology (FOWG), and the Swiss Agency for the Environment, Forests and Landscape (SAEFL).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

    Sigrun Rohde, Felix Kienast & Matthias Bürgi

Authors
  1. Sigrun Rohde
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Felix Kienast
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Matthias Bürgi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sigrun Rohde.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Rohde, S., Kienast, F. & Bürgi, M. Assessing the Restoration Success of River Widenings: A Landscape Approach. Environmental Management 34, 574–589 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-004-0158-y

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-004-0158-y

KEY WORDS

Search

Navigation