Riparian management affects instream habitat condition in a dairy stream catchment |
| |
Authors: | R Holmes J Hayes C Matthaei G Closs M Williams E Goodwin |
| |
Affiliation: | 1. Cawthron Institute, Nelson, New Zealand;2. Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand;3. Smithsonian Environmental Research Centre, Edgewater, Maryland, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Using a space-for-time substitution design, we investigated the response of structural instream habitat and fish populations to different riparian management practices throughout a Dairy Best Practice Catchment. We found a significant negative correlation between the upstream area of stock exclusion fencing and deposited instream fine sediment cover. Furthermore, we determined that this relationship emerges when ≥300?m lengths of upstream riparian area were included in the analysis, indicating the scale at which stock exclusion fencing results in a positive instream habitat response. Specifically, for this historically degraded spring-fed stream, our findings indicate that riparian segments with 5 m wide stock exclusion fences (both banks) are required to achieve instream fine sediment cover below 20% in downstream reaches. Fish were sparse and evenly spread throughout the catchment. Fish distributions were not correlated with reach-scale riparian or instream habitat variables, possibly because the available habitat quality gradient was too narrow. |
| |
Keywords: | Dairy GIS fine sediment fish habitat riparian management stock exclusion |
|
|