River Restoration

River restoration initiatives are now widespread across the world. The research efforts undertaken to support them are increasingly interdisciplinary, focusing on ecological, chemical, physical as well as societal issues. River Restoration: Political, Social, and Economic Perspectives provides a comprehensive overview of research in the field of river restoration in humanities and the social sciences. It illustrates how, in the last thirty years or so, such approaches have evolved and strengthened within the restoration sciences.

The scientific community working in this domain has structured itself, often regionally and circumstantially, to critically assess and improve restoration policies and practices. As a research field, river restoration tackles three thematic axes:

• Human-river interactions – especially perceptions and practices of rivers, and how these interactions can be changed by restoration projects
• Political processes, with a particular interest in governance and decision-making, and a specific emphasis on the question of public participation in restoration projects
• Evaluation of the social and economic benefits of river restoration

River Restoration: Political, Social, and Economic Perspectives encompasses these three topics, and more, to provide the reader with the most up-to-date and holistic view of this constantly evolving area. The book will be of particular interest to human and social scientists, biophysical scientists (hydrologists, geomorphologists, ecologists), environmental scientists, public policy makers, design or planning officers, and anyone working in the field of river restoration.

About the Editors

Bertrand Morandi, Marylise Cottet and Hervé Piégay are geographers with an interdisciplinary expertise in the field of river research and restoration. They are all based at the Université de Lyon, France. They are experienced in using integrated approaches to deepen knowledge of river socio-ecosystems. They lead interdisciplinary programs which consider both ecological and social issues of river restoration and aim at providing knowledge and methods to aid public decision making. In this context, they regularly collaborate with water managers and stakeholders. They are also involved in Rhône Basin LTER network and Rhône Valley Human-Environments Observatory (Labex DRIIHM) and actively contribute to an interdisciplinary doctoral School in Watershed Sciences (EUR H2O’Lyon).