Across Australia there is growing enthusiasm for restoring and rehabilitating rivers and streams. Unfortunately such projects often fail to produce the dramatic improvements in stream health that the enthusiastic participants hope for. The main reason for this failure is a lack of planning, resulting in poorly defined project objectives and restoration strategies. Often the project did not solve the correct problem. In addition, social and political factors rather than a lack of technical skills were often the major factor influencing the success of river restoration projects.
By planning your project carefully and setting clear, measurable objectives that are shared by all those involved in the project, you can greatly improve the chances of achieving your river restoration goals. This Fact Sheet is based on the 'Rehabilitating Australian Streams' CD-Rom and Manual that set out a planning process for river restoration projects. It provides an introduction to why planning is important, outlines the key steps to be followed in any planning process, and provides information about where to go for further assistance.
The full fact sheet is available in Adobe Acrobat format:
Fact Sheet 9 - Planning for River Restoration (facts09.pdf, 543Kb)
Topics covered
- Where to start? Protect first, restore and rehabilitate second
- River restoration, rehabilitation and remediation - what is the difference?
- Why plan?
- Successful planning relies on people working together
- Accessing extra assistance
- A stream rehabilitation planning process
This Fact Sheet is the ninth in a series dealing with the management of riparian land.
