Browsing by Author "Bryden, Alexandra"

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    Assessing the progress of river restoration in the UK: has biophysical condition improved over two decades of intervention?
    (Wiley, 2021-09-26) Moore, Harriet Elizabeth; Mercer, Theresa G.; de Alwis Pitts, Dilkushi; Beagley, Sam; Naura, Marc; Bryden, Alexandra
    Biophysical condition is one indicator of the immediate success of efforts to restore degraded rivers as well as longer-term progress towards improving water quality. In the context of the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the biophysical condition of river systems in the UK also reflects how well international environmental policy translates into improved river management domestically. We assess whether the condition of river systems in the UK has improved or declined over the past two decades, whether regions identified by the first WFD assessment have improved or declined, and thus, how effectively international policy has been implemented nationally. Methods include: statistical and spatial analysis of more than 25,000 habitat condition records collated in the River Habitat Survey over the 1990s and 2000s; computing of an Index of Change for Local Authorities; and comparison of Indices of Change with a sub-sample of 1,727 WFD assessments conducted in 258 Local Authorities. Findings include that three of four measures indicate that biophysical quality has declined, although only the decline in one measure (habitat quality) was statistically significant. Riparian quality has improved, although measures do not consider invasive compared to native coverage. In total, 27 regions were identified with the worst declining quality. Comparative analysis of regions suggests that condition has declined most substantially in regions that were previously in “good” condition. Priorities for future investment include improving degraded sites, protecting high quality sites, and increasing monitoring of “data poor” regions. Our methodology offers an approach for utilising “messy” routinely collated data like the RHS. However, guidelines are needed to support the use of similar datasets for the international river restoration community.
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    A new framework for river restoration planning at catchment scale in the UK
    (Wiley, 2025-01) Robins, Joshua Edward; Naura, Marc; Austin, Sam; Bryden, Alexandra; Cullis, Jo; Prady, Jane; Shi, Fang; Treves, Richard
    The main aim of catchment planning is to prioritise measures that will reverse the decline of biological communities. In recent decades, there has been an increase in methods, tools and the availability of data to aid this process. However, how we use data to make decisions is the crucial and often neglected part of catchment planning, and there is sometimes a tendency to revert to reach‐scale opportunism rather than planning at the catchment scale. Planning approaches in the UK have ranged from public sector–led plans in the 1990s to the present‐day partnership approach led by the third sector (non‐governmental charitable or not‐for‐profit organisations). We have reviewed 237 catchment plans from the UK to understand the approaches that have been taken. Our findings indicate that many plans do not clearly link evidence and data to decision‐making; problems are poorly defined using broad terms such as ‘issues’ instead of characterising pressures and impacts; catchment objectives tend to be broad and not specific; measures are often prioritised based on opportunity; and it is not always clear how measures are expected to contribute to the achievement of catchment targets. Altogether, we noted the absence of agreed, standardised frameworks for producing plans, describing how data should be analysed, problems identified and actions prioritised. 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.