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What is a Riverscape?

Before we dive into attempting to improve the health of riverscapes through things like low-tech process-based restoration (or even just process-based restoration), it’s important to understand what a riverscape is.

Wheaton et al. (2019) define a riverscape as:

The part of the landscape (connected network) that could plausibly flood by their rivers & streams in the contemporary natural flow regime.

For you to ponder:

  • How is a riverscape different than a river or stream?
  • How is a riverscape different than a watershed or landscape?

References on Riverscapes:

  • Fausch, K.D., Torgersen, C.E., Baxter, C.V., Li, H.W., 2002. Landscapes to riverscapes: Bridging the gap between research and conservation of stream fishes. Bioscience 52, 483–498. DOI: 10.1641/0006-3568(2002)052%255B0483
  • Skidmore, P., Wheaton, J., 2022. Riverscapes as natural infrastructure: Meeting challenges of climate adaptation and ecosystem restoration. Anthropocene 38, 100334. DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2022.100334
  • Torgersen, C.E., Le Pichon, C., Fullerton, A.H., Dugdale, S.J., Duda, J.J., Giovannini, F., Tales, É., Belliard, J., Branco, P., Bergeron, N.E., Roy, M.L., Tonolla, D., Lamouroux, N., Capra, H., Baxter, C.V., 2021. Riverscape approaches in practice: perspectives and applications. Biological Reviews 97, 481–504. DOI: 10.1111/brv.12810
  • Glassic, H.C., Al-Chokhachy, R., Wheaton, J., Macfarlane, W.W., Jordan, C.E., Murphy, B., Shahverdian, S., Bennett, S., Bouwes, N., Fryirs, K., Brierley, G., Ciotti, D., Bailey, P., Bartelt, K., Belletti, B., Bizzi, S., Brasington, J., Camp, R., Fairfax, E., Gilbert, J., Jimenez, J., Maestas, J., Mandish, T., McNamara, A., Miller, S., Morizot, B., Perle, M., Piégay, H., Reid, H., Reynolds, L.V., Saunders, W.C., Shallcross, A., Skidmore, P., Smith, R., Terrier, B., Wathen, G., Weber, N., 2025. Principles of Riverscape Health. WIREs Water 12, e70028. DOI: 10.1002/wat2.70028