Ecology and Conservation of the San Pedro River

Ecology and Conservation of the San Pedro River
Author: Juliet C. Stromberg
Publisher: University of Arizona Press
Total Pages: 552
Release: 2009
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780816527526

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contributors - biologists, ecologists, geomorphologists, historians, hydrologists, lawyers, and political scientists - weave together threads from their diverse perspectives to reveal the processes that shape the past, present, and future of the San Pedro's riparian and aquatic ecosystems. They review the biological communities of the San Pedro and the stream hydrology and geomorphology that affects its riparian biota. They then look at conservation and management challenges along three sections of the San Pedro, from its headwaters in Mexico in its confluence with the Gila River, describing legal and policy issues and their interface with science; activities related to mitigation, conservation, and restoration; and a prognosis of the potential for sustaining the basin's riparian system." "Complemented by a foreword written by James Shuttleworth, these chapters demonstrate the complexity of the San Pedro's ecological and hydrological conditions, showing that there are no easy --

River Conservation and Management

River Conservation and Management
Author: Philip Boon
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 449
Release: 2012-02-10
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1119961963

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This book is intended for those with an academic, scientific and practical interest in river conservation and management. It provides an overview of how changes in legislation, policies, institutional responsibilities, science, technology, practical techniques and public perception have influenced how rivers have been managed over the past 20 years and the challenges that lie ahead during the next 20 years. The book is based on the international conference River Conservation and Management:20 Years On held at York. Thirty-one chapters, with contributions from North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australasia provide a wide-ranging perspective on this complex but profoundly important subject. Following an introduction that chronicles the most important contextual changes, the book is organized into four broad topics: Catchment management, ecosystem integrity and the threats to river ecosystems – this covers progress on understanding and addressing the pressures affecting rivers, many of which will be amplified by climate change and increasing human demands for water; Methods and approaches – illustrating some recent techniques that have been developed to assess condition and conservation status across different types of river; Recovery and rehabilitation – providing an insight into the principles, practice, public involvement and institutional networks that support and make improvements to modified river reaches; Integrating nature conservation into wider river management –demonstrating the importance of integrated planning, involvement of local communities and the use of adaptive management in achieving multiple environmental and economic benefits along rivers used for different purposes. The final chapter discusses the challenges faced in dealing with an uncertain future. More than 1200 different references and numerous web-site citations provide the reader with an invaluable source of knowledge on the subject area.

Global Perspectives on River Conservation

Global Perspectives on River Conservation
Author: P. J. Boon
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 584
Release: 2000-10-03
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

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This is the first book to provide a truly global synthesis of knowledge on river conservation, and will be an invaluable reference for all those concerned with strategic river planning. Throughout the world, river ecosystems frequently reflect the worst excesses of human exploitation for instance when rivers are used as repositories for waste. Recognition is growing that river management needs to move from chemical clean-up to restoring the structural damage caused by decades of river engineering. There needs to be a catchment-wide perspective if the needs of human populations, river habitats and wildlife are to reach a sustainable balance. Against this backdrop, the development of river conservation strategies has become a global imperative. This book sets out a worldwide, region-by-region overview of the science, policy and practice of river conservation. It also provides a topical review of different river settings (such as tropical/temperate; temporary/perennial; large/small) and contemporary issues in river conservation (such as classification and evaluation; environmental legislation; the role of public participation). Clearly written by leading researchers in the field, this book will be welcomed by all those working on environmental management of inland waters as well as academics, researchers, postgraduates and final year undergraduates.

Rivers for Life

Rivers for Life
Author: Sandra Postel
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 265
Release: 2012-06-22
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1597267805

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The conventional approach to river protection has focused on water quality and maintaining some "minimum" flow that was thought necessary to ensure the viability of a river. In recent years, however, scientific research has underscored the idea that the ecological health of a river system depends not on a minimum amount of water at any one time but on the naturally variable quantity and timing of flows throughout the year. In Rivers for Life, leading water experts Sandra Postel and Brian Richter explain why restoring and preserving more natural river flows are key to sustaining freshwater biodiversity and healthy river systems, and describe innovative policies, scientific approaches, and management reforms for achieving those goals. Sandra Postel and Brian Richter: explain the value of healthy rivers to human and ecosystem health; describe the ecological processes that support river ecosystems and how they have been disrupted by dams, diversions, and other alterations; consider the scientific basis for determining how much water a river needs; examine new management paradigms focused on restoring flow patterns and sustaining ecological health; assess the policy options available for managing rivers and other freshwater systems; explore building blocks for better river governance. Sandra Postel and Brian Richter offer case studies of river management from the United States (the San Pedro, Green, and Missouri), Australia (the Brisbane), and South Africa (the Sabie), along with numerous examples of new and innovative policy approaches that are being implemented in those and other countries. Rivers for Life presents a global perspective on the challenges of managing water for people and nature, with a concise yet comprehensive overview of the relevant science, policy, and management issues. It presents exciting and inspirational information for anyone concerned with water policy, planning and management, river conservation, freshwater biodiversity, or related topics.

Mississippi River Water Quality and the Clean Water Act

Mississippi River Water Quality and the Clean Water Act
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 252
Release: 2008-02-08
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0309177812

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The Mississippi River is, in many ways, the nation's best known and most important river system. Mississippi River water quality is of paramount importance for sustaining the many uses of the river including drinking water, recreational and commercial activities, and support for the river's ecosystems and the environmental goods and services they provide. The Clean Water Act, passed by Congress in 1972, is the cornerstone of surface water quality protection in the United States, employing regulatory and nonregulatory measures designed to reduce direct pollutant discharges into waterways. The Clean Water Act has reduced much pollution in the Mississippi River from "point sources" such as industries and water treatment plants, but problems stemming from urban runoff, agriculture, and other "non-point sources" have proven more difficult to address. This book concludes that too little coordination among the 10 states along the river has left the Mississippi River an "orphan" from a water quality monitoring and assessment perspective. Stronger leadership from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is needed to address these problems. Specifically, the EPA should establish a water quality data-sharing system for the length of the river, and work with the states to establish and achieve water quality standards. The Mississippi River corridor states also should be more proactive and cooperative in their water quality programs. For this effort, the EPA and the Mississippi River states should draw upon the lengthy experience of federal-interstate cooperation in managing water quality in the Chesapeake Bay.

Ecological Significance of River Ecosystems

Ecological Significance of River Ecosystems
Author: Sughosh Madhav
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 522
Release: 2022-01-12
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0323903436

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Ecological Significance of Riparian Ecosystems: Challenges and Management Strategies examines the current issues related to river ecosystems, their environmental importance, pollution issues and potential management strategies. The book is divided into 4 key themes: Basics of river ecosystem, Natural phenomenon of river ecosystem, Human-induced problems of river ecosystem, and Management measures for the river ecosystem. Through these four themes, the contributors present both practical and theoretical aspects of river ecosystem in changing climate. An emphasis has been made on the recent research of climate change and its impact on the river ecosystem. River ecosystems have tremendous potential to store CO2, however, with changing climatic and anthropogenic activities, these habitats are under threat, and river ecosystems are losing the very vital service of storing carbon. Unlike well documented terrestrial biodiversity, the biodiversity in aquatic ecosystems is still unrecognized to some extent. Presents an understanding of the biogeochemical processes of river ecosystems achieved by food webs and diverse biogeochemical processes Covers sediment dynamics and nutrient chemistry - hot topics in river ecosystems Includes environmental pollution issues in river ecosystems from various anthropogenic activities