Water Wheel March/April 2023: Water Ecosystems

Abstract

Free-flowing rivers and their importance to people, economies and nature: Prioritisation and targeted interventions to maintain ecological integrity Free-flowing rivers (FFRs) are river systems that have remained connected from source to sea (longitudinally within the channel), latitudinally (connected to floodplains), and vertically (surface-groundwater interaction), allowing for functional biodiversity. Few countries still have FFRs, allowing for connectivity where ecosystem services and functions such as the movement and exchange of water, energy, material, and species within the river system and surrounding floodplains occur, assist with resilience to climate change and anthropogenic impacts and food security among others. Free-flowing rivers are threatened by instream obstructions such as dams and weirs, pollution, and climate change. A global study by Grill et al. (2019) showed that less than 50% of rivers remain free-flowing, and most of these occur in remote regions of the world, and on the African continent, only 47% of large rivers are still free-flowing.

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