River Restoration

Understandings of the impacts of infrastructure placement like dams and weirs, and channelization, on flow and sediment regimes in rivers, have produced a generation of river restoration theorists and practitioners, with a myriad of outcomes. River restoration goals have necessarily been conceptualized around the interventions we use to improve river structure or form, function, nutrient uptake and release, diversity, and riverine dynamics.

More recently, the emergence of a focus on ecosystem services and nature-based economies, a recognition of personhood rights and legal standing for rivers, and building resilience in the face of climate change, inter alia, have required adjustments to these conceptualisations. With its commitment to open, ethical and reproducible research, PLOS Water is the ideal venue for this interdisciplinary research. We are therefore excited to announce a collection on River Restoration to cover this scope for the future.

Researchers interested in contributing to this collection should submit their research articles by 31 January 2024. Topics include, but are not limited to: 

River restoration goals:

·        Enhancing recreational experiences

·        Improving ecological integrity (including diversity, structure and function)

·        Reinstating water quality

River restoration techniques:

·        Infrastructure removal (dams, weirs)

·        Channel remodifications

·        Removal of invasives

·        Riparian revegetation, and other nature-based solutions

·        Restoration monitoring and evaluation

River restoration perspectives:

·        River restoration and natural hazards

·        Legal aspects

·        Human health implications

·        Cultural aspirations

·        Financing, market-based mechanisms, and

·        Restoration in a circular economy

Ready to submit your research to this collection in PLOS Water? Follow our step-by-step guide to the submission process.