Whither river landscape ecology?

摘要

There is a hydrological unit, the riverscape, reaching from hill top and watershed to river or ex-river on the valley bottom. Without drainage and abstraction, most riverscapes have innumerable water habitats, from brooks to wetlands. On this water depends the life of the riverscape and, ultimately, the life of the people on it. Human impact has, over time, altered the riverscape to be more favourable for settlement farming and other human activities such as transport, power supply and fisheries. These varied activities have given cultural, maybe even cultured riverscape. Intensive human impact has greatly damaged the natural and cultural heritage of many riverscapes. This loss is serious, and with regard to water resources, may be critical. Unfortunately, to understand, and conserve, the water heritage, it must first be studied, and very little has been done. The Water Framework Directive, if carried out fully, would make a start.