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...

Freshwater is a valuable resource for human populations, and has many uses such as water for drinking, hydroelectric power and recreation. This creates conflict between conservation and exploitation. This book explores various aspects of conservation evaluation, including the selection of important areas for protection, responding to threats from catchment development, and determining the restoration potential of degraded water bodies. Aimed at academic researchers, graduate students and professionals, chapters are written by pairs of UK and US authors, who compare methods used for evaluating...