Technical notes on a multi-scale framework for assessing the hydromorphological conditions of Alpine rivers

Authors: KLOESCH, MARIO - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria; PESSENLEHNER, SEBASTIAN - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria; DUNST, ROMAN - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria; Langendoen, Eddy; GOLTARA, ANDREA - Italian Center For River Restoration; AIGNER, JOHANN - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria; BERTRAND, MELANIE - Institut National De Recherche En Sciences Et Technologies Pour L'Environnement Et L'agriculture(ir; HABERSACK, HELMUT - University Of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences - Austria

Submitted to: Technical Report
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/30/2018
Publication Date: 8/31/2018
Citation: Kloesch, M., Pessenlehner, S., Dunst, R., Langendoen, E.J., Goltara, A., Aigner, J., Bertrand, M., Habersack, H. 2018. Technical notes on a multi-scale framework for assessing the hydromorphological conditions of Alpine rivers. Technical Report. HyMoCARES, Interreg Alpine Space Program. 46 pp.

Interpretive Summary: River corridors represent one of the most used and modified landscape elements in the European Alps, but many are at risk or severely degraded and do not provide sufficient ecosystem services. For more effective river restoration the links between human uses, hydromorphological processes, and ecosystem services of alpine river corridors need to be understood. Through the European Union funded HyMoCARES Project, scientists from various Alpine countries (Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland) in collaboration with ARS scientist are developing a conceptual framework and operational tools to integrate ecosystem services in Alpine river basin planning and management, with a special focus on factors affecting river hydromorphology, including sediment continuity, while ensuring integration of local and basin scales. As a first step, indices were identified at the reach and basin scale for river restoration measure prioritization, and methods for the estimation of the indices were advanced . The framework will be integrated in the implementation process of European Union legislation.

Technical Abstract: The alpine rivers are affected by multiple pressures, leading to various ecological and technical problems. Given the transport of water, sediment and wood the problems which emerge along the river course may result from local processes, but also from processes occurring far upstream in the catchment or somewhere along the river network. In river management, especially in river restoration, it is crucial to identify the pressures which cause the observed hydromorphological condition. In a first step, a questionnaire is conducted among the project partners on the hydromorphological issues they encounter at their case study sites. The survey outcome serves to link observed morphological and biological degradation to causes which may have their origin somewhere in the river network, and to get an overview about the relevance of several anthropogenic interventions for the hydromorphological condition of alpine rivers. These anthropogenic interventions are then to be addressed by the compilation and development of related indicators in the multi-scale hydromorphological framework. In a second step, the indicators are embedded in an assessment procedure. The hydromorphological assessment considers the anthropogenic interventions, which are effective at various scales. In the last step, a methodology for the priorisation of restoration measures is proposed, based on the developed assessment procedures and other tools developed in HyMoCARES.