The Riverscape and the River

by S. M. Haslam

• ISBN13: 9780521839785
• ISBN10: 0521839785
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-03-03
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The study of water in the landscape is a new and rapidly expanding field. Dr Haslam examines how the quantity, function and ecology of water changes as it moves from watershed to river. The development of river and riverscape, their ecology, the effect of human activities (such as water abstractions, flood control and management for recreational use) and water resources are described both in principle and using case histories. Contrasting examples are given from across the world, including Iceland, Hungary, Malta, Britain and the USA, which enables understanding of how water and riverscape interact with each other, and with human impact. The study, development and loss of water resources is also described, including the extreme example of Malta, whose clean water now depends solely on oil imports. This innovative book is written for graduate students and professionals interested in how water and riverscape interact.

Author Biography

S. M. Haslam is a Fresh Water Ecologist in the Department of Plant Sciences at Cambridge University.

Table of Contents

List of tables	p. xi
Preface	p. xiii
Acknowledgements	p. xv
Introduction	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
Interpretation	p. 3
A working entity	p. 4
Riverscape elements	p. 5
Catchments and their diversity	p. 6
Natural capital	p. 8
Intangible values of riverscapes	p. 8
Values	p. 15
The natural river and its destruction	p. 16
The concept of naturalness	p. 16
Human impact	p. 19
River vegetation	p. 22
River animals	p. 41
Connections and mosaics	p. 42
Skewing and loss of vegetation from human impact	p. 47
Restoration and rehabilitation	p. 50
The natural riverscape and its modification	p. 53
Introduction	p. 53
The layers of the riverscape	p. 54
History	p. 55
Case studies	p. 56
Waccasassa River, Florida, USA	p. 56
R. Cam, Cambridgeshire, England	p. 58
River Kbir, Malta	p. 67
R. Golo, Corsica	p. 77
R. Don (Aberdeen) Scotland	p. 81
R. San Gorg, Malta	p. 84
Discussion	p. 84
Resources I. Water resources and their loss	p. 86
Introduction	p. 86
The European Union Water Framework Directive	p. 87
The functioning river and riverscape	p. 89
The example of Malta	p. 94
Loss in temperate Europe	p. 99
Discussion	p. 105
Development and variation of rivers	p. 107
Upstream - Downstream	p. 107
Downstream variation in vegetation	p. 127
Case studies
R. Wylye, England	p. 136
R. Itchen, England	p. 137
Brief case studies	p. 139
Connectivity and mosaics	p. 139
Development and variation of riverscapes	p. 141
Introduction	p. 141
Sense of place	p. 144
Patterns	p. 147
Riverscape construction	p. 149
Recent floods	p. 155
Discussion	p. 156
Building blocks of river vegetation	p. 157
River architecture	p. 157
Examining architecture	p. 161
The building blocks and their habitats	p. 165
Animals and structure	p. 174
Water-supported vegetation	p. 175
Conclusions	p. 177
Building blocks of flood plain vegetation	p. 179
Introduction	p. 179
The building blocks	p. 180
Traditional vegetation types	p. 194
Building blocks of river plain vegetation	p. 197
Case studies	p. 200
Discussion	p. 209
Resources II. Plants and animals, cleaning and minerals	p. 217
Introduction	p. 217
Resources of rivers and other fresh waters	p. 217
Birds	p. 221
Mammals	p. 224
Other animals	p. 225
Wetlands	p. 226
Materials	p. 235
Recreation	p. 236
Building blocks of the riverscape	p. 237
Introduction	p. 237
Case study: Malta	p. 240
Riverscape description	p. 243
Building blocks which drive riverscape development	p. 245
The effect of land use changes	p. 248
Trees	p. 250
Building blocks for individual species	p. 251
Buffer strips and beetle banks	p. 254
Historical examples	p. 255
Discussion	p. 256
Patterns, boundaries and fragmentation	p. 260
Introduction	p. 260
Scale	p. 260
Mosaics	p. 262
Community size and fragmentation	p. 264
Fragments	p. 265
Communication	p. 267
Fragmentation and destruction of habitat: case study, Malta	p. 268
Cultural fragmentation	p. 269
Change over two decades: Gozo, Maltese Islands	p. 270
Pattern in relation to habitat, Icklingham Poors' Fen, Suffolk	p. 274
The Scottish Cairngorms, change over millennia	p. 276
Dartmoor, England, over millennia	p. 276
Sensitivity and resistance	p. 276
Discussion	p. 278
Resources III. Settlements and constructions	p. 281
Settlements	p. 281
Different types of riverscape	p. 291
Sacred riverscapes	p. 295
The harsh riverscape	p. 307
Introduction	p. 308
Case studies	p. 309
Summary	p. 332
The tempered or smiling riverscape	p. 333
Introduction	p. 334
River trade	p. 335
R. Thames	p. 336
R. Tapio	p. 351
Old edge of Cambridge, R. Cam	p. 354
Pond landscape	p. 354
Discussion	p. 357
Envoi	p. 359
The water features in the riverscape	p. 359
Bibliography	p. 367
Index to plant and animal vernacular and taxonomic names	p. 394
General subject index	p. 398
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