Flood Plains: Critically Threatened Ecosystems. Tockner, K., Bunn, S. E., Gordon, C., Naiman, R. J., Quinn, G. P., & Stanford, J. A. In Aquatic Ecosystems, pages 45–62. Cambridge University Press.
Flood Plains: Critically Threatened Ecosystems [link]Paper  doi  abstract   bibtex   
[Excerpt: Introduction] Riparian zones, river-marginal wetland environments and flood plains are key landscape elements with a high diversity of natural functions and services. They are dynamic systems that are shaped by repeated erosion and deposition of sediment, inundation during rising water levels, and complex groundwater-surface water exchange processes (Chapter 3). This dynamic nature makes flood plains among the most biologically productive and diverse ecosystems on earth [...]. Flood plains are also of great cultural and economic importance; most early civilizations arose in fertile flood plains and throughout history people have learned to cultivate and use their rich resources. Flood plains have also served as focal points for urban development and exploitation of their natural functions. [\n] Awareness has been growing during the past decade of the global significance of freshwater biodiversity, of the array of factors that have (or will have) threatened it and the extent to which real damage has already been done [...]. Flood plains in particular have been highly degraded throughout the world by river and flow management and by land-use pressures. Nowadays, they are among the most endangered ecosystems worldwide [...]. Accordingly, flood plains deserve increased attention for their inherent biodiversity, for the goods and services provided to human societies and for their aesthetic and cultural appeal. [\n] This chapter builds upon a recent comprehensive environmental review of riverine flood plains [...]. It starts with a short summary of the distribution and extent of the world's flood plains, followed by an overview of their primary economic, ecological and cultural values. The multifaceted threats that make flood plains one of the most endangered landscape elements worldwide are then discussed. Finally, future trends in floodplain exploitation in developing and developed countries are contrasted, and the ecological consequences of rapid alteration of floodplain ecosystems forecasted. Since flood plains, wetlands and river systems are not always clearly distinguished, general examples of rivers or floodplain wetlands are included in the present review when appropriate. The flood-inundated wetlands and lakes of the humid tropics are treated in more detail later (Chapter 10). [\n] [...] [Flood plain distribution] Flood plains are defined as 'areas of low lying land that are subject to inundation by lateral overflow water from rivers or lakes with which they are associated' [...]. This definition includes fringing flood plains of lakes and rivers, internal deltas and the deltaic flood plains of estuaries. [\n] [...] Based on data from 145 major river corridors around the world, the extent of human impacts on riparian zones is apparent [...]. For example, 11\,% of the riparian area of African rivers (mean population density 24 people km2) is intensively cultivated, compared to 46\,% for North American rivers (mean population density, excluding northern Canada and Alaska, 24 people km2) and 79\,% for European rivers (mean population density 75 people km2). The most impacted riparian corridors with respect to land use are found in Europe and in the densely populated areas of Asia (catchments with population densities $>$200 people km2) [...]. There, 60-99\,% of the entire riparian corridor has been transformed into cropland and/or is urbanized, the latter particularly so in Europe, where the Seine River (France) shows the highest impact of all rivers investigated. [\n] [...] The current situation for European flood plains is critical [...] with 95\,% of the original floodplain area converted to other uses [...]. In 45 European countries, 88\,% of alluvial forests have disappeared from their potential range [...]. Many of the remaining European flood plains are far from pristine and have lost most of their natural functions. For example, of the former 26 000 km2 of floodplain area along the Danube and its major tributaries, about 20 000 km2 are isolated by levees [...]. However, major flood events have highlighted the vast extent of plains still subject to flooding [...]. [\n] [...] [Conclusions] Flood plains are unique and dynamic ecosystems that link rivers with their catchments. They are highly productive environments, supporting a diverse biota, but are also intensively used by humans for agricultural and urban development, resulting in loss of biodiversity and ecological functioning. The priority for flood plains is to conserve those that are still intact and to attempt to rehabilitate those that are degraded. In both cases, protecting or restoring key components of the natural flow regime is essential, while maintaining sustainable use of floodplain resources by local communities, particularly in developing countries. Finding this compromise between conservation and resource use requires a greater understanding of the role of flow relative to other stressors in driving ecological processes in flood plains. Floodplain management and restoration strategies must also take into account climate change models that predict significant changes to flow regimes in most of the world's rivers, especially in temperate and arid regions.
@incollection{tocknerFloodPlainsCritically2008,
  title = {Flood Plains: Critically Threatened Ecosystems},
  booktitle = {Aquatic {{Ecosystems}}},
  author = {Tockner, Klement and Bunn, Stuart E. and Gordon, Christopher and Naiman, Robert J. and Quinn, Gerry P. and Stanford, Jack A.},
  editor = {Polunin, Nicholas V. C.},
  date = {2008},
  pages = {45--62},
  publisher = {{Cambridge University Press}},
  location = {{Cambridge}},
  doi = {10.1017/cbo9780511751790.006},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1017/cbo9780511751790.006},
  abstract = {[Excerpt: Introduction] 

Riparian zones, river-marginal wetland environments and flood plains are key landscape elements with a high diversity of natural functions and services. They are dynamic systems that are shaped by repeated erosion and deposition of sediment, inundation during rising water levels, and complex groundwater-surface water exchange processes (Chapter 3). This dynamic nature makes flood plains among the most biologically productive and diverse ecosystems on earth [...]. Flood plains are also of great cultural and economic importance; most early civilizations arose in fertile flood plains and throughout history people have learned to cultivate and use their rich resources. Flood plains have also served as focal points for urban development and exploitation of their natural functions.

[\textbackslash n] Awareness has been growing during the past decade of the global significance of freshwater biodiversity, of the array of factors that have (or will have) threatened it and the extent to which real damage has already been done [...]. Flood plains in particular have been highly degraded throughout the world by river and flow management and by land-use pressures. Nowadays, they are among the most endangered ecosystems worldwide [...]. Accordingly, flood plains deserve increased attention for their inherent biodiversity, for the goods and services provided to human societies and for their aesthetic and cultural appeal.

[\textbackslash n] This chapter builds upon a recent comprehensive environmental review of riverine flood plains [...]. It starts with a short summary of the distribution and extent of the world's flood plains, followed by an overview of their primary economic, ecological and cultural values. The multifaceted threats that make flood plains one of the most endangered landscape elements worldwide are then discussed. Finally, future trends in floodplain exploitation in developing and developed countries are contrasted, and the ecological consequences of rapid alteration of floodplain ecosystems forecasted. Since flood plains, wetlands and river systems are not always clearly distinguished, general examples of rivers or floodplain wetlands are included in the present review when appropriate. The flood-inundated wetlands and lakes of the humid tropics are treated in more detail later (Chapter 10).

[\textbackslash n] [...]

[Flood plain distribution]

Flood plains are defined as 'areas of low lying land that are subject to inundation by lateral overflow water from rivers or lakes with which they are associated' [...]. This definition includes fringing flood plains of lakes and rivers, internal deltas and the deltaic flood plains of estuaries. [\textbackslash n] [...]

Based on data from 145 major river corridors around the world, the extent of human impacts on riparian zones is apparent [...]. For example, 11\,\% of the riparian area of African rivers (mean population density 24 people km2) is intensively cultivated, compared to 46\,\% for North American rivers (mean population density, excluding northern Canada and Alaska, 24 people km2) and 79\,\% for European rivers (mean population density 75 people km2). The most impacted riparian corridors with respect to land use are found in Europe and in the densely populated areas of Asia (catchments with population densities {$>$}200 people km2) [...]. There, 60-99\,\% of the entire riparian corridor has been transformed into cropland and/or is urbanized, the latter particularly so in Europe, where the Seine River (France) shows the highest impact of all rivers investigated.

[\textbackslash n] [...]

The current situation for European flood plains is critical [...] with 95\,\% of the original floodplain area converted to other uses [...]. In 45 European countries, 88\,\% of alluvial forests have disappeared from their potential range [...]. Many of the remaining European flood plains are far from pristine and have lost most of their natural functions. For example, of the former 26 000 km2 of floodplain area along the Danube and its major tributaries, about 20 000 km2 are isolated by levees [...]. However, major flood events have highlighted the vast extent of plains still subject to flooding [...].

[\textbackslash n] [...]

[Conclusions]

Flood plains are unique and dynamic ecosystems that link rivers with their catchments. They are highly productive environments, supporting a diverse biota, but are also intensively used by humans for agricultural and urban development, resulting in loss of biodiversity and ecological functioning. The priority for flood plains is to conserve those that are still intact and to attempt to rehabilitate those that are degraded. In both cases, protecting or restoring key components of the natural flow regime is essential, while maintaining sustainable use of floodplain resources by local communities, particularly in developing countries. Finding this compromise between conservation and resource use requires a greater understanding of the role of flow relative to other stressors in driving ecological processes in flood plains. Floodplain management and restoration strategies must also take into account climate change models that predict significant changes to flow regimes in most of the world's rivers, especially in temperate and arid regions.},
  isbn = {978-0-511-75179-0},
  keywords = {*imported-from-citeulike-INRMM,~INRMM-MiD:c-13938341,~to-add-doi-URL,anthropogenic-changes,arid-climate,climate-change,ecosystem,flood-frequency,flooding-tolerance,floods,forest-resources,river-flow,temperate-climate,vegetation,water-resources}
}
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