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Floodplain restoration

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Land use of the Manawatu River Floodplain in New Zealand

Floodplain restoration is the process of fully or partially restoring a river's floodplain to its original conditions before having been affected by the construction of levees (dikes) and the draining of wetlands and marshes.

The objectives of restoring floodplains include the reduction of the incidence of floods, the provision of habitats for aquatic species, the improvement of water quality and the increased recharge of groundwater.

Description

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Types/methods

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Anthropogenic impacts on floodplain mostly target the lateral connectivity between rivers and their floodplains, so many restoration methods focus on removing human-made structures that disrupt connectivity.[1] One type of floodplain restoration are levee setbacks and dam removal, either full or partial, to allow for rivers to migrate within a space that is closer to the natural floodplain.[2] Another method is through a "beaded approach" with allows small portions of a floodplain to be restored to natural habitat and functions .[2] The removal of levees and/or weirs can allow for the reconnection of river channels to their floodplain.[2] Riverside embankments through the creation of overflow sills and creating artificial opening at inflow channels can help increase channel connectivity to the floodplain.[3] Restoring drained or degraded wetlands can help increase floodplain connectivity.[4]

Potential benefits

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Floodplain restoration can restore previously lost or degraded ecosystem services. These ecosystem services can be categorized by supporting, regulating, provisioning, and cultural services.[5] Restoring floodplains can help regulate flood events and mitigate flood related damage.[6] Floodplain restoration can also increase biodiversity by creating new or restoring degraded habitat and encourage growth of native species.[7][8] Methods of wetland restoration in the floodplain, can help better water quality.[9] Reconnecting rivers to their floodplains promotes carbon storage in soil and regulates processes within soil.[8]

Challenges

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There are several issues that may arise when planning and/or implementing floodplain restoration projects. Since floodplain restoration involves a wide range of partnerships and stakeholders, a lack of communication between parties and differences ideas or priorities for restoration goals can be a constraint for restoration projects.[10] There is also the potential for a higher value or desire placed into immediate flood-defense and current land-use practices rather than the ecological or environmental benefits, which can stall or prevent floodplain restoration.[10][11] It is also important to include the socio-economic aspects of floodplain restoration, so when this becomes a constraint to projects that do not consider these aspects. Restoration efforts need to be properly and continuously monitored to determine effectiveness and benefits.[1]

Examples of existing projects

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This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Africa

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Asia and The Pacific

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Europe

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Road flooded intentionally in a polder on the Upper Rhine

One of the drivers for floodplain restoration is the EU Water Framework Directive. Early floodplain restoration schemes were undertaken in the mid-1990s in the Rheinvorland-Süd on the Upper Rhine, the Bourret on the Garonne, and as part of the Long Eau project in England.[16] Ongoing schemes in 2007 include Lenzen on the Elbe, La Basse on the Seine and the Parrett Catchment Project in England. On the Elbe River near Lenzen (Brandenburg), 420 hectares of floodplain were restored in order to prevent a recurrence of the Elbe floods of 2002. A total of 20 floodplain restoration projects on the Elbe River were envisaged after the 2002 floods, but only two have been implemented as of 2009 according to the environmental group de:BUND.[17]

Latin America and the Caribbean

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North America

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Floodplain restoration in the United States is driven by The Clean Water Act (1972), The Endangered Species Act (1973), and various state level legislations.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Schulz-Zunkel, Christiane; Seele-Dilbat, Carolin; Anlanger, Christine; Baborowski, Martina; Bondar-Kunze, Elisabeth; Brauns, Mario; Gapinski, Cedric M.; Gründling, Ralf; Haaren, Christina von; Hein, Thomas; Henle, Klaus; Junge, Frank W.; Kasperidus, Hans. D.; Koll, Katinka; Kretz, Lena (March 2022). "Effective restoration measures in river-floodplain ecosystems: Lessons learned from the 'Wilde Mulde' project". International Review of Hydrobiology. 107 (1–2): 9–21. Bibcode:2022IRH...107....9S. doi:10.1002/iroh.202102086. ISSN 1434-2944.
  2. ^ a b c Pess, George R., et al. "Monitoring floodplain restoration." Monitoring stream and watershed restoration. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, Maryland (2005): 127-166.
  3. ^ Regulated Rivers: Research & Management. 14 (1). January 1998. doi:10.1002/(sici)1099-1646(199801/02)14:1<>1.0.co;2-1. ISSN 0886-9375 <>1.0.co;2-1 http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1099-1646(199801/02)14:1<>1.0.co;2-1. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ a b Martin, David M.; Jacobs, Amy D.; McLean, Chase; Canick, Michelle R.; Boomer, Kathleen (2022-12-01). "Using Structured Decision Making to Evaluate Wetland Restoration Opportunities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed". Environmental Management. 70 (6): 950–964. doi:10.1007/s00267-022-01725-5. ISSN 1432-1009. PMC 9622542. PMID 36208345.
  5. ^ Petsch, Danielle Katharine; Cionek, Vivian de Mello; Thomaz, Sidinei Magela; dos Santos, Natalia Carneiro Lacerda (2022-06-21). "Ecosystem services provided by river-floodplain ecosystems". Hydrobiologia. 850 (12–13): 2563–2584. doi:10.1007/s10750-022-04916-7. ISSN 0018-8158.
  6. ^ Gourevitch, Jesse D.; Singh, Nitin K.; Minot, Josh; Raub, Kristin B.; Rizzo, Donna M.; Wemple, Beverley C.; Ricketts, Taylor H. (March 2020). "Spatial targeting of floodplain restoration to equitably mitigate flood risk". Global Environmental Change. 61: 102050. doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102050. ISSN 0959-3780.
  7. ^ Kousky, Carolyn; Walls, Margaret (August 2014). "Floodplain conservation as a flood mitigation strategy: Examining costs and benefits". Ecological Economics. 104: 119–128. Bibcode:2014EcoEc.104..119K. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.05.001. ISSN 0921-8009.
  8. ^ a b Serra-Llobet, Anna; Jähnig, Sonja C.; Geist, Juergen; Kondolf, G. Mathias; Damm, Christian; Scholz, Mathias; Lund, Jay; Opperman, Jeff J.; Yarnell, Sarah M.; Pawley, Anitra; Shader, Eileen; Cain, John; Zingraff-Hamed, Aude; Grantham, Theodore E.; Eisenstein, William (2022). "Restoring Rivers and Floodplains for Habitat and Flood Risk Reduction: Experiences in Multi-Benefit Floodplain Management From California and Germany". Frontiers in Environmental Science. 9. doi:10.3389/fenvs.2021.778568. ISSN 2296-665X.
  9. ^ a b Richardson, Curtis J.; Flanagan, Neal E.; Ho, Mengchi; Pahl, James W. (2011-01-01). "Integrated stream and wetland restoration: A watershed approach to improved water quality on the landscape". Ecological Engineering. Special Issue: Enhancing ecosystem services on the landscape with created, constructed and restored wetlands. 37 (1): 25–39. Bibcode:2011EcEng..37...25R. doi:10.1016/j.ecoleng.2010.09.005. ISSN 0925-8574.
  10. ^ a b Adams, William M.; Perrow, Martin R.; Carpenter, Angus (November 2005). "Perceptions of river managers of institutional constraints on floodplain restoration in the UK". Journal of Environmental Planning and Management. 48 (6): 877–889. Bibcode:2005JEPM...48..877A. doi:10.1080/09640560500294442. ISSN 0964-0568.
  11. ^ Moss, Timothy (June 2007). "Institutional drivers and constraints of floodplain restoration in Europe". International Journal of River Basin Management. 5 (2): 121–130. Bibcode:2007IJRBM...5..121M. doi:10.1080/15715124.2007.9635312. ISSN 1571-5124.
  12. ^ Scholte, Paul, et al. "Floodplain rehabilitation in North Cameroon: impact on vegetation dynamics." Applied Vegetation Science 3.1 (2000): 33-42.
  13. ^ Zerbe, Stefan; Thevs, Niels (2011), Hong, Sun-Kee; Kim, Jae-Eun; Wu, Jianguo; Nakagoshi, Nobukazu (eds.), "Restoring Central Asian Floodplain Ecosystems as Natural Capital and Cultural Heritage in a Continental Desert Environment", Landscape Ecology in Asian Cultures, Tokyo: Springer Japan, pp. 277–297, doi:10.1007/978-4-431-87799-8_19, ISBN 978-4-431-87798-1, retrieved 2024-04-14
  14. ^ Albers, T.; Schmitt, K. (December 2015). "Dyke design, floodplain restoration and mangrove co-management as parts of an area coastal protection strategy for the mud coasts of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam". Wetlands Ecology and Management. 23 (6): 991–1004. Bibcode:2015WetEM..23..991A. doi:10.1007/s11273-015-9441-3. ISSN 0923-4861.
  15. ^ Cha, Yoon Jung; Shim, Myung-Pil; Kim, Seung Kyum (2011). "The Four Major Rivers Restoration Project" (PDF). UN-Water International Conference.
  16. ^ Moss, Timothy; Monstadt, Jochen, eds. (2008). Restoring floodplains in Europe: policy contexts and project experiences. London: IWA Pub. ISBN 978-1-84339-090-9. OCLC 212816100.
  17. ^ Wibbeler, Hartmut (November 2016). "Schritte zum Schutz vor Sturzfluten und Hochwasser". Wasser und Abfall. 18 (11): 38–41. Bibcode:2016WaAbf..18k..38W. doi:10.1007/s35152-016-0105-2. ISSN 1436-9095.
  18. ^ Stammel, Barbara; Cyffka, Bernd; Geist, Jürgen; Müller, Melanie; Pander, Joachim; Blasch, Gerald; Fischer, Peter; Gruppe, Axel; Haas, Florian; Kilg, Markus; Lang, Petra; Schopf, Reinhard; Schwab, André; Utschik, Hans; Weißbrod, Maximilian (2012-04-01). "Floodplain restoration on the Upper Danube (Germany) by re-establishing water and sediment dynamics: a scientific monitoring as part of the implementation". River Systems. 20 (1–2): 55–70. doi:10.1127/1868-5749/2011/020-0033. ISSN 1868-5749.
  19. ^ Ares, Jorge; Serra, Juan (April 2008). "Selection of sustainable projects for floodplain restoration and urban wastewater management at the lower Chubut River valley (Argentina)". Landscape and Urban Planning. 85 (3–4): 215–227. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2007.11.003. hdl:11336/102192.
  20. ^ Hine, Christopher S.; Hagy, Heath M.; Horath, Michelle M.; Yetter, Aaron P.; Smith, Randolph V.; Stafford, Joshua D. (2016-07-05). "Response of aquatic vegetation communities and other wetland cover types to floodplain restoration at Emiquon Preserve". Hydrobiologia. 804 (1): 59–71. doi:10.1007/s10750-016-2893-5. ISSN 0018-8158.
  21. ^ Merz, Norm (2009-02-18). Kootenai River Floodplain Ecosystem Operational Loss Assessment, Protection, Mitigation and Rehabilitation, 2007-2008 Annual Report (Report). Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI). doi:10.2172/962195.
  22. ^ Rood, Stewart B., et al. "Managing river flows to restore floodplain forests." Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 3.4 (2005): 193-201.
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