| Abstract: | The management of riverine environments is shown to require a knowledge and awareness of the complex interactions between fluvial and mass-wasting processes, riparian vegetation, and channel form. Identification of the cause of instability rather than the local symptoms, and knowledge of the temporal and spatial aspects of channel adjustment are central to the application of (1) appropriate analyses to estimate future channel changes, (2) appropriate mitigation measures, and (3) the protection of river-crossing structures and adjacent land. Conceptual models of channel evolution and bank-slope development are particularly valuable for interpreting past and present processes, applying appropriate computational techniques to estimate future channel changes, and implementing strategies to mitigate the impacts of processes likely to dominate the channel in the future. Techniques for identification and analysis of channel instability are interdisciplinary and provide a mechanism for estimating changes in channel-bed elevation and channel width with time. Features of channel form and associated riparian vegetation can be used as diagnostic criteria to identify channel processes, the stage of channel evolution and the magnitude and extent of instability. Changes in bed elevation with time can be represented using an exponential function; changes in channel width with time can be calculated using slope stability equations and (or) projection of a temporary angle of stability from a low-angle surface termed the ‘slough line’ that supports re-establishment of woody vegetation. These techniques, in combination with knowledge of the state of channel evolution, can then be used to assess the appropriateness of various mitigation measures to control on-going channel adjustments and to protect river-crossing structures. |
