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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Journal of Arid Environments (2001) 49; 17..34 . ill> <br />doi:l0.l006/jare.2001.0833, available online ut hnp:/fwww.idealibrary,com on IDE~l <br /> <br />@ <br /> <br />~ <br />l <br />w <br />~ <br />~\ <br />~ <br />~ <br />If. <br />Ii <br />~: <br />~ <br />~ <br />! <br />:r: <br />,. <br />~'. <br />, <br /> <br />Restoration of riparian vegetation in the south-western <br />United States: importance of flow regimes and <br />fluvial dynamism <br /> <br />Juliet C. Stromberg <br /> <br />Departmenl of Plant Biology, Arizona State University, <br />Tempe AZ 85287-1601, U.S.A. <br /> <br />c. <br />c. <br />w <br />r 2, <br />00 <br />c.o <br /> <br />Riparian ecosystems in the south-western United States have undergone exten- <br />sive physical and biological changes, due, in part, to alteration of natural flow <br />regimes and suppression of fluvial processes. Many riparian ecosystem restora- <br />tion projects are achieving success because they recognize the importance of <br />restoring the hydrologic regime. In other words, these projects are restoring flows <br />of water and sediment in sufficient quantities and with appropriate temporal <br />and spatial patterns, Other projects have proceeded without recognition of the <br />need to incorporate envirorunental stream flow requirements into management <br />plans. To increase success rate of riparian ecosystem restoration, this paper <br />describes some changes that have OCCUlTed within riparian ecosystems of the <br />southwestern United States, reviews the role of stream flow regimes in structur- <br />ing riparian plant communities, and assesses various ways in which riparian plant <br />communities can be restored by naturalizing ecological processes. <br /> <br />@ 2001 Academic Press <br /> <br />Keywords: restoration; riparian ecosystem; hydrology; stream flow regime; <br />arid and semi-arid; Populus <br /> <br />IntroducdoD <br /> <br />Restoration of riparian ecosystems has become a major enterprise in developed nations. <br />Many projects have been implemented in the western United States that have a goal of <br />reversing the riparian loss and degradation that streams have undergone over the past <br />century (Goodwin et at., 1997). Some of these restoration efforts have achieved <br />greater success than others. To improve success rate, greater information sharing is <br />needed on the ecology of riparian ecosystems, causes of degradation, and strengths and <br />limitations of various restoration approaches. To this end, this paper describes some <br />changes that have occurred within riparian ecosystems of the south-western United <br />States, reviews the role of key environmental factors that stnJcture riparian plant <br />communities, and assesses various ways in which riparian vegetation can be restored by <br />naturalizing ecological processes. <br /> <br />Riparian ecosystem losses Rnd the need for restoration <br /> <br />'rhe physical settings and dynamic processes of streams in the south-western United <br />'! Stat.es have been changed dramaticaUy over the pall' century. The Colorado River, the <br /> <br />~ OI40.1963JOI/090017 + 18 $35,00/0 <br /> <br /><C' 200 t Academic Pi'll" <br />