Floodplain Biodiversity and Restoration: Integrated natural science and socio-economic approaches to catchment management

Aims and objectives

Introduction

Water allocation in river systems
traditionally takes into account the needs of domestic water supply, industry
and agriculture with some attention to minimum acceptable flow principles for
the benefit of instream ecosystems. It is now recognised that such operational
management models also need to take into account the water quantity needs of
floodplain ecosystems.

An ability to maintain or improve
the ecological quality and hydrological functions of floodplain ecosystems is
a key principle in the EU Water Framework Directive and a necessary component
of floodplain restoration projects.

The FLOBAR2 project has two main aims:

1. To address knowledge-gaps in
   present scientific understanding of river-floodplain biological and physical
   systems by exploring:
   1. Scientific aspects of the impact of different flow regimes
      on the growth and regeneration of floodplain plant species.
   2. The impact of floodplain vegetation on flood retention.
2. To integrate scientific understanding
   of these interactions between abiotic and biotic factors on floodplains with
   the decision-making mechanisms involved in water allocation in river catchments.
   

The work for FLOBAR2 is divided into 7 work packages (WP1-WP7) with the following objectives:

1. To develop scientific guidelines
   for the application of river flow prescriptions which benefit floodplain ecosystems
   while maintaining acceptable levels of flood control (WP1).
2. To quantify aspects of the relationships
   between hydrological inputs to a floodplain and plant response in terms of water
   consumption, growth and diversity of regeneration strategies (WP2-5).
   1. The influence of hydrology on water uptake and growth
      of woody, riparian species (WP2)
   2. The influence of hydrology and litter acculmulation on
      riparian species diversity (WP3)
   3. The influence of hydrology on sex ratios in dioecious
      floodplain species (WP4)
   4. The influence of hydrology on sexual and vegetative regeneration
      strategies in floodplain species (WP5)
3. To investigate the flow resistance associated with woody riparian vegetation using field studies and mathematical
   and numerical modelling (WP6).
4. To investigate and compare the
   effectiveness of selected institutional arrangements for restoring floodplain
   environments at different spatial scales and in different national/local settings
   (WP7).