What is river restoration?
River restoration can be defined as a 'structural and functional return to the pre-disturbance state', but it is impractical to restore rivers completely to their original state. However, the limited enhancement works already completed across Europe in river corridors, previously subjected to modification, have highlighted the achievable benefits of integrated river management. Restoration schemes involve compromise between sustainable environmental gain and important social and economic considerations.
Flood banks, built adjacent to many rural watercourses to protect agricultural land from flooding, have some significant disadvantages:
- Unnatural in appearance and visually unattractive
- Degrade the river environment and support little wildlife
- Prone to damage from livestock and rabbits
- Cause difficulty of access to the river for livestock
- Send flood waters downstream, possibly creating flooding problems elsewhere
Removing flood banks allows the floodwater to spill onto the floodplain. This periodic inundation of the land can be beneficial to the soil.