A New Framework for River Restoration Planning at Catchment Scale in the UK
Topics: How to do River Restoration,
Regions: Western Europe, Greater Europe, Published: 18-04-2025 , ISBN: joshua.robins@cranfield.ac.uk | marc.j.naura@cranfield.ac.uk , Authors: Joshua Edward Robins | Marc Naura | Sam Austin | Alexandra Bryden | Jo Cullis | Jane Prady | Fang Shi | Richard Treves
We propose a new catchment planning framework that encourages evidence-based decisions through the assessment of pressures and impacts, and ultimately the prioritisation of river restoration options (encompassing rehabilitation, renaturalisation, enhancement, re-creation and mitigation of the hydrology, water quality and geomorphology of the river, floodplain and wider catchment) based on their contribution to the alleviation of catchment-scale impacts, and which can be applied by nonspecialists using citizen science data.
Without SMART catchment scale objectives and the resources to monitor against them, we cannot evaluate the success of catchment plans. This has implications for our ability to learn from previous experiences, identify future needs, justify future funding and secure the continued buy in of local communities and organisations (Engand et al. 2021). If progress against previous plans cannot be demonstrated, local communities may lose trust in the catchment planning process. This part of the process is often neglected but has the potential to undermine all that goes before it. A continuous dialogue between regulators, practitioners and academics is essential to further best practice approaches to river restoration and catchment planning. This dialogue requires established reference points and consensus on fundamental principles. The proposed framework aims to provide a foundation for implementing best practice principles, while remaining open to critique and refinement, thereby facilitating the advancement of catchment planning in the UK.