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Abstract
An abundance of information, some of which is included in other chapters in these volumes, documents and laments the historic loss of or changes to riparian ecosystems. Historic impacts to most riparian organisms, ranging in size from cottonwood trees to microbes, are fairly well documented. Causes of these changes are also well documented or speculated upon based on the best available information. It is clear that the world, and specifically the riparian world, has changed because of human activities. It appears likely that changes will continue to occur as human activities continue, and that our impacts are sufficient to cause the planet to enter a new era of geology, atmospheric chemistry, and biology termed the Anthropocene (Crutzen and Stoermer 2008). Most of the changes that have occurred historically are generally considered “bad” because they involve a loss of biological communities that we usually consider “good.” A small industry has developed involved in the protection of remaining riparian areas and wetlands and restoration or creation of new ones to compensate for historic losses and solve other problems.
Parent Publication
Keywords
riparian,
ecosystem,
ecology,
riparian processes,
riparian losses,
restoration,
aquatic,
arid,
semiarid,
upland,
freshwater,
groundwater,
hydrology,
watershed,
tamarisk,
tamarisk leaf beetles (Diorhabda spp)
Citation
Kingsley, Kenneth J. 2020. It’s not all bad news - riparian areas in the Anthropocene [Chapter 6]. In: Carothers, Steven W.; Johnson, R. Roy; Finch, Deborah M.; Kingsley, Kenneth J.; Hamre, Robert H., tech. eds. Riparian research and management: Past, present, future. Volume 2. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-411. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 138-153.
