Restoration of rivers and floodplains needs to be carried out based on the best scientific knowledge available. At the same time, restoration projects provide the great opportunity to link basic research with application for the benefit of both. In this short essay, I discuss four selected aspects that are scientifically challenging and highly relevant for restoration: (i) setting restoration priorities and need of reference systems, (ii) understanding the link between environmental heterogeneity, biodiversity, and ecosystem processes, (iii) focus on refugia for maintaining ecosystem resilience, and (iv) the potential role of ecosystem services in guiding restoration projects.

View full abstract

More than ten years’ experience of interdisciplinary cooperation between ecology and civil engineering has constructed a new world of science, which has worked well to contribute new challenge for the sustainability with scientific background. However, it has provided a kind of “melting pot” of different sciences. Inside the new society, peoples with different disciplines can talk to each other with the same language, and enjoy the new findings. However, we have lost something, a “salad bowl” with heterogeneity.

View full abstract

Several topics on commonality and dissimilarity between ecology and civil engineering in rivers and streams of Japan were provided. Both contain the fields of spatial sciences. Thus, habitat becomes a principle importance for both sciences. In river and stream ecosystems, habitat produces species richness, which enhances the biodiversity within river ecosystem. I also revised a check-sheet of microhabitats which is conformed by three spatial layers: channel center and margin, riffle-pool sequences, and habitat elements.

View full abstract

In order to show inclinations of ecology and civil engineering researches in these ten years, a total of 145 papers printed in 16 books of 9 volumes of Ecology Civil Engineering (from 1^st to 9^th Volume) have been overviewed and classified from aspects of study methods, objectives, target ecosystems, ecological subjects focussed on, physico-chemical factors dealt in the paper, and spatial scales for the study. Recent increase in the number of original papers and case study papers shows a sound condition of the society at present. The papers are characterized by prevailing number of topics on river and estuary, aspects of habitat structure for biological populations and communities, descriptive works on human impacts on ecosystems, field work-approaches for research, and flow regimes, inundations, sediment dynamism and longitudinal connectivity as physico-chemical factors for habitat traits. In order to integrate ecology and civil engineering into an original field of science, more works aiming at prediction of ecological phenomena using engineering methods are required as well as those for finding out physical mechanisms of habitat structure based on ecological methods. One of our goals may be to establish “Habitatology” defined by “science for structure, function and maintenance mechanisms of habitat”.

View full abstract

The majority of published papers in ECE were relating to aquatic ecosystems and written by university and/or institute members. Other fields such as terrestrial or coastal ecosystems should be more focused, and consultant and government employee should be encouraged to submit their case studies. As a philosophy and a target of ECE, interdependence between ecology and civil engineering, holistic view of environment, target for restoration, and ecological health were discussed. At investigation and planning stage, life history trait, habitat condition, disturbance, material cycle, interactions between organisms were examined. The focus should be given to the key habitat corresponding to the key life-stage such as reproduction stage. IBI, RHS and habitat evaluation by GIS were introduced and other multivariate statistical analyses were employed. I believe that evaluation of ecosystem health in a broad scale is an important theme to build effective conservation or restoration plan. At the implementation stage, I doubt the necessity to draw the detail design of engineering structures, rather I feel it produce great mischief. Design with nature or passive restoration should be the first priority. The studies on this stage were very few, probably because evaluation of engineering works was not planned before implementation, and evaluation has not been fulfilled. Thus, at monitoring and evaluation stage, Before-After-(Reference)-Control-Impact design were recommended, and critical lines to refine or improve management plan and engineering works should be presented before implementation.

View full abstract

Although development of national land was started from introduction of rice cropping, over 2000 years ago, in Japan, biodiversity had not been threatened by human impacts until Edo period. But modern science and technology, modern water management and quick economic growth have been depriving biodiversity. Ecology and civil engineering society was born as applied science aimed at changing national land from development type into natural symbiosis type 10 years ago. Four next viewpoints are important for future development of the society.
1. how incorporate human impacts in natural structure and ecosystem modeling.
2. how handle scientific universality and environmental severalty as study.
3. how deal with a social problem in this society.
4. how deal with global environment problem in this society.

View full abstract