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- Info
Trial and error: Assessing the effectiveness of riparian revegitation in Arizona
| Author: |
Briggs, Mark K.; Roundy, Bruce A.; Shaw, William W. |
| Date: |
1994 |
| Periodical: |
Restoration and Management Notes |
| Abstract: |
Improvement of degraded riparian ecosystems by revegetation is most effectively used in areas where artificially planted vegetation survives to fulfill project objectives without being obscured by natural regeneration of the same species that were planted. In this study, only 10 of the 27 projects fell into this definition. In the majority of cases, riparian revegetation was used in areas where artificially planted vegetation could not survive because factors causing site degradation were not addressed, or where it was not needed due to dramatic natural regeneration. The greatest limitation of riparian revegetation is that it often does not address the causes of degradation. When it does not, it is likely that the riparian system will continue to be unstable. Such instability will often hamper the establishment of artificially planted vegetation to the same degree as it has natural regenerative processes. Addressing the causes of site degradation is therefore the most important factor in achieving project objectives. In the majority of successful projects, the causes of site degradation were addressed by incorporating secondary mitigations such as bank-stabilization structures, check dams, irrigation, and improved land management strategies in the overall project design. For the majority of projects, the effectiveness of these secondary mitigations often had a more significant impact on the overall results of the mitigation than revegetation. |
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