What is riparian land?

Riparian land is any land that adjoins or directly influences a body of water. It includes:

• the land immediately alongside small creeks and rivers, including the river bank itself;
• gullies and dips which sometimes run with water;
• areas surrounding lakes; and
• wetlands and river floodplains which interact with the river in times of flood.

It is important not to think of riparian land as just a narrow strip along each riverbank. Depending on the nature of the land (floodplain, gorge or valley) and the adjacent land use (national park, farming, forestry, urban housing), the width of riparian land that needs special management will range from very narrow to a wide, densely-vegetated corridor.

 The Riparian Zone

The full fact sheet is available in Adobe Acrobat format:

   Fact Sheet 1 - Managing Riparian Land (on LWA site)

Topics covered 

• What is riparian land?
• Why do riparian lands need special care?
• Good reasons to manage your riparian land with care
• Decreased Erosion
• Improved water quality
• Healthy ecosystems
• Maintaining river courses
• Stock management
• Decrease in insect pests
• Increase in capital values
• Shelter effects
• Opportunities for diversification
• Retention of nutrients
• Lowered water tables
• Increased fish stocks
• Landscape refuge
• Decreased algal growth
• Ecotourism
• Some key issues in protecting riparian land

This Fact Sheet is the first in a series dealing with the management of riparian land.