Page 307 - Freshwater-Biology-and-Ecology-Handbook

The focus, so far, has been on river invertebrate methodologies and on status classification using UK
RIVPACS to provide a working example of what is needed to set up a biological monitoring programme
for a national initiative, a river catchment or a specific tributary. Most invertebrate methods utilise these
key principles and we expect users to modify and adapt methods to their specific situations as needed.

Several key biological and ecological methods are not covered in this handbook, including fish,
macrophytes, diatoms, river restoration methodologies, still-water methods, and statistics and
computing methods. We invite other specialists to contribute to add additional chapters or sections to
expand its coverage.

Future developments in biological monitoring will be important and should also be considered for update
and later inclusion in this handbook. These may include DNA analysis, remote sensing, and use of social
networks for communication of river health and environmental issues.

Increased community science initiatives and public participation will also help in data gathering and
presentation. However, it is important that these are robust and fully integrated with core data sets where
possible. These potentially drive significant investment in infrastructure and land use management, so
need to be reproducible and consistent.
We hope that making this publication free of charge, and for public good, will accelerate the
understanding of freshwater systems around the world. The core elements described here are the
basis for training programmes and university teaching, to provide the expertise to consolidate the
improvement of river health into the future. Access to key texts and references to the original documents
will also be invaluable to practitioners.

We regard this handbook as being an open and living publication. Improvements, new sections, and
examples of good practice are welcomed. We will seek to ensure that appropriate mechanisms for
additions and improvements to its content are put in place.

Finally, we hope that this provides a useful insight for civil servants, water managers, specialists, and river
conservation groups working to improve and protect our invaluable freshwater environment.

We invite you to contribute.

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