The ecology of riparian habitats of the southern California coastal region: A community profile

Technical Report · Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989

OSTI ID:5366302

Faber, P M; Keller, E; Sands, A; Massey, B M ^[1]

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1. Faber (Phyllis M.), Mill Valley, CA (USA)

In the 200 years since California's settlement by Europeans, almost every river in southern California has been channelized or dammed to allow development on the floodplains, causing the loss of a highly productive ecosystem. The riparian zone occurs along streambanks where soils are fertile and water is abundant; amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals all move back and forth across the riparian zone from streams into adjacent wetland and upland areas. Irreversible alterations of the riparian ecosystem result from the diversion or loss of transported water to the system through diking, damming, channelization, levee building, or road construction. Clearing for crops, grazing, or golf courses is potentially reversible as long as the water supply remains unaltered. Successful restoration work requires early agreement on project goals, site-specific restoration design, correct project implementation, enforcement of permit conditions, a maintenance and management program, and long-range monitoring. 288 refs., 54 figs., 13 tabs.

• Research Organization: National Wetlands Research Center, Slidell, LA (USA); Faber (Phyllis M.), Mill Valley, CA (USA); Keller (Ed), Santa Barbara, CA (USA); Sands (Anne), Mill Valley, CA (USA); Massey (Barbara M.), Long Beach, CA (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOI
• OSTI ID: 5366302
• Report Number(s): BR-85(7.27); ON: TI90002814
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
DAMAGE
MITIGATION
STREAMS
BASELINE ECOLOGY
AMPHIBIANS
BIRDS
CALIFORNIA
DAMS
INSECTS
MAMMALS
PLANTS
REMEDIAL ACTION
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
WATER USE
WILD ANIMALS
ANIMALS
AQUATIC ORGANISMS
ARTHROPODS
ECOLOGY
FEDERAL REGION IX
INVERTEBRATES
NORTH AMERICA
SURFACE WATERS
USA
VERTEBRATES
520100* - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (-1989)