000165675 001__ 165675 000165675 005__ 20260115130449.0 000165675 0247_ $$2doi$$a10.1002/rra.3672 000165675 0248_ $$2sideral$$a118539 000165675 037__ $$aART-2020-118539 000165675 041__ $$aeng 000165675 100__ $$aFuller, Ian C. 000165675 245__ $$aAn index to assess the extent and success of river and floodplain restoration: Recognising dynamic response trajectories and applying a process-based approach to managing river recovery 000165675 260__ $$c2020 000165675 5060_ $$aAccess copy available to the general public$$fUnrestricted 000165675 5203_ $$aHow should the success of river and floodplain restoration be assessed? What should we be restoring? We contend that the benchmark for restoration should be the river in its “natural,” that is, quasi-equilibrium condition prior to deliberate modification. The pre-modification condition of the river represents a quasi-equilibrium state in which the river accommodates and adjusts to catchment water and sediment fluxes, whether in a pristine or modified catchment. The resulting assemblage of river landforms (e.g., bars, channels, backwaters) is in balance with the prevailing flood and sediment regime. Furthermore, equilibrium channel forms can adjust to changes in, for example, flood magnitude and frequency via for example, channel expansion or contraction. A restored river system is one that once was anthropogenically restricted, but now has regained capacity to adjust its form. River restoration needs understanding of the his- tory and trajectory of pre-modification channels, so that the “right” river type can be restored. To assess the scope and success of restoration, we propose using a natural character index (NCI). The NCI is the ratio between a parameter which describes the form and function of a river now (observed) and the same parameter measured at a point or points in time past (expected). Exemplar parameters include sinuosity, flood- plain width, active channel width, bar area (at a given flow) and riparian vegetation. Measurement of these parameters utilizes a combination of aerial photos, archive maps and LiDAR-derived terrain models, the availability of which necessarily limits and deter- mines what parameters can be used in NCI assessment. LiDAR is a useful tool provid- ing an opportunity to comprehend pre-modification river and floodplain character. We illustrate the NCI concept and its potential for use in assessing restoration effects using examples from New Zealand, Spain and Croatia. The result is an index of use as a “first cut” preliminary assessment for river practitioners. 000165675 540__ $$9info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess$$aAll rights reserved$$uhttp://www.europeana.eu/rights/rr-f/ 000165675 590__ $$a2.443$$b2020 000165675 591__ $$aWATER RESOURCES$$b57 / 97 = 0.588$$c2020$$dQ3$$eT2 000165675 591__ $$aENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES$$b178 / 273 = 0.652$$c2020$$dQ3$$eT2 000165675 592__ $$a0.679$$b2020 000165675 593__ $$aEnvironmental Chemistry$$c2020$$dQ2 000165675 593__ $$aWater Science and Technology$$c2020$$dQ2 000165675 593__ $$aEnvironmental Science (miscellaneous)$$c2020$$dQ2 000165675 655_4 $$ainfo:eu-repo/semantics/article$$vinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion 000165675 700__ $$aDeath, Russell G. 000165675 700__ $$aGarcía, J. Horacio 000165675 700__ $$aTrenc, Neven 000165675 700__ $$aPratt, Renae 000165675 700__ $$aPitiot, Claude 000165675 700__ $$aMatos, Bojan 000165675 700__ $$0(orcid)0000-0002-9745-5866$$aOllero Ojeda, Alfredo$$uUniversidad de Zaragoza 000165675 700__ $$aNeverman, Andrew 000165675 700__ $$aDeath, Amanda 000165675 7102_ $$13006$$2430$$aUniversidad de Zaragoza$$bDpto. Geograf. Ordenac.Territ.$$cÁrea Geografía Física 000165675 773__ $$g37, 2 (2020), 163-175$$pRiver Res. Appl.$$tRIVER RESEARCH AND APPLICATIONS$$x1535-1459 000165675 8564_ $$s2719595$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/165675/files/texto_completo.pdf$$yPostprint 000165675 8564_ $$s2122676$$uhttps://zaguan.unizar.es/record/165675/files/texto_completo.jpg?subformat=icon$$xicon$$yPostprint 000165675 909CO $$ooai:zaguan.unizar.es:165675$$particulos$$pdriver 000165675 951__ $$a2026-01-15-12:57:41 000165675 980__ $$aARTICLE