Riparian-zone restoration

Riparian-zone restoration is the ecological restoration of riparian-zone habitats of streams, rivers, springs, lakes, floodplains, and other hydrologic ecologies. A riparian zone or riparian area is the interface between land and a river or stream. Riparian is also the proper nomenclature for one of the fifteen terrestrial biomes of the earth; the habitats of plant and animal communities along the margins and river banks are called riparian vegetation, characterized by aquatic plants and animals that favor them. Riparian zones are significant in ecology, environmental management, and civil engineering because of their role in soil conservation, their habitat biodiversity, and the influence they have on fauna and aquatic ecosystems, including grassland, woodland, wetland or sub-surface features such as water tables. In some regions the terms riparian woodland, riparian forest, riparian buffer zone, or riparian strip are used to characterize a riparian zone. The perceived need for riparian-zone restoration has come about because riparian zones have been altered and/or degraded throughout much of the world by the activities of mankind affecting natural geologic forces. The unique biodiversity of riparian ecosystems and the potential benefits that natural, vegetated riparian have to offer in preventing erosion, maintaining water quality that ranges from being decent to completely healthy, providing habitat and wildlife corridors, and maintaining the health of in-stream biota () has led to a surge of restoration activities aimed at riparian ecosystems in the last few decades. Restoration efforts are typically guided by an ecological understanding of riparian-zone processes and knowledge of the causes of degradation. They are often interdependent with stream restoration projects. Riparian-zone disturbance falls into two main categories: hydrologic modifications that indirectly impact riparian communities through changes in stream morphology and hydrologic processes, and habitat alterations that result in direct modification of riparian communities through land clearing or disturbance.