Fundamental concepts for river management futures

Background/Question/Methods

The world’s rivers are increasingly under pressure. There is a general recognition of the degraded state of rivers, which has led to river management strategies that aim to conserve the environmental amenity of rivers while maintaining the services that rivers provide to society. But what are the guiding principles to consider in managing rivers? How can river managers frame their policies and practices in a way that incorporates fundamental aspects of river science?

Results/Conclusions

We propose eight guiding principles to incorporate into river management policy and practice to improve conservation and use outcomes.  These principles are: 1) rivers are heterogeneous in space and variable through time; 2) river systems operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales; 3) rivers are inter-disciplinary systems driven by aspects of hydrology, geomorphology, ecology, economy and society; 4) rivers provide important ecosystem goods and services to society; 5) science is one value among many to consider in river management; 6) understanding of river ecosystems is incomplete; 7) tools and models are for decision support in river management; and, 8) the social and ecological resilience of river environments should be maintained by river management.  Each principle has a well-established theoretical and/or empirical basis.  The principles also interlink to respond to calls for a holistic, systems approach to river management policy and practice.