River Pathways

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River Pathways

• An Introduction to Riparian Areas

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What is a Riparian Area?

• Riparian - Relating to or living or located on
  the bank of a natural watercourse (such as a
  river) or sometimes of a lake or tidewater.
• (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary)

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What is a Riparian Area?
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Why Protect Riparian Areas?

• In Arizona, some estimate that riparian areas are
  only 0.4 of the total land area

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Why Protect Riparian Areas?

• 70 of Arizonas threatened and endangered
  vertebrates depend on these areas

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Why Protect Riparian Areas?

• Their important role is disproportionate to the
  small area they cover

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Value vs. Funtion

• Functions are the ecological, hydrological, or
  other processes that maintain the ecosystem
• Value is the worth, desirability, or usefulness
  of a resource.
• Value can change with time while functions are
  constant

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Functions of Riparian Areas

• Provide fish and wildlife habitat

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Functions of Riparian Areas

• Filter and retains upland sediment

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Functions of Riparian Areas

• Stabilize streambanks and allows for the build up
  of new streambanks

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Functions of Riparian Areas

• Increase water storage in subsurface aquifers

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Functions of Riparian Areas

• They provide habitat for seventy percent of the
  threatened and endangered vertebrates in Arizona.
  

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Values of Riparian Areas

• They increase drinkable water quality and
  quantity by reducing nonpoint source pollutants

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Values of Riparian Areas

• They provide valuable resources needed for
  livestock production
• Water
• Forage
• Shade

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Values of Riparian Areas

• They provide areas for recreational activities
  such as
• hiking
• horse-back riding
• cycling
• fishing
• Hunting
• Swimming
• raft floating
• Boating
• Canoeing
• bird wildlife watching
• Picnicking
• Camping
• off-road vehicle use.

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Values of Riparian Areas

• They reduce the impacts of seasonal flooding

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Managing for Multiple-Use

• There are a great number of people who find value
  in riparian areas and even more who benefit from
  their functions.

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Managing for Multiple-Use

• People disagree on which values and functions are
  most important. These disagreements have the
  potential to create conflict.

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Managing for Multiple-Use

• Many uses may conflict with one another.
• Land managers must manage these areas so that
  everyone can benefit from its values and
  functions and so no one value or function
  infringes on another.

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The Future of Riparian Areas

• Many estimate that 70-90 of riparian areas in
  the United States have been altered by human
  activities including construction of dams,
  agriculture, and urbanization.

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The Future of Riparian Areas

• The significant increase in urban population
  compared to rural population is a very important
  trend when thinking about Arizonas riparian
  areas.

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The Future of Riparian Areas

• A higher urban population of the state will lead
  to a significant increase in environmental and
  recreation oriented values for riparian areas.

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The Future of Riparian Areas

• Rural communities often see these areas as a
  resource for community economic development.
• For example, many communities depend on raising
  livestock as the main source of income.

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The Future of Riparian Areas

• Restoration of riparian areas should be a
  national goal.

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The Future of Riparian Areas

• To have successful and effective conservation in
  riparian areas in arid and semi-arid regions,
  monitoring is essential.

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The Future of Riparian Areas

• Without data that shows the quality and quantity
  of remaining riparian habitat, conservation is
  impossible.