Concept of potential nature in riverine environment is introduced extending the concept of today's potential natural vegetation in ecology. Degradation of the quality of nature in riverine environment in modern age of Japan is analyzed considering major human impacts on riverine environment in view of the concept of potential nature and historical development of modern technology in Japan. Essential advancement of industrialization of modern Japan is summarized into three major steps from historical point of view in human impacts on riverine environment.
Multiple disciplinary approach is desirable for both comprehensive understanding of riverine environment and implementation of river works. Unification of terminology is necessary for meaningful discussion among different disciplines. Several examples are listed and a guideline for unification of terminology is presented.
Natural characteristics of riverine environment are summarized as in the following three items, namely, 1) natural disturbance regime, 2) continuity in a watershed, and 3) diversity of morphology. It is shown that if river works are executed to restore these functions, they satisfy essential requirements of environmental ethics. Quantitative techniques are required in river planning for evaluation of habitat suitability and for providing alternatives for consensus building among administration, experts, residents, and so on. An open system is recommended to be able to revise a sub-model when advancement in technology is established retaining the main frame unaltered. A proposed habitat suitability evaluation system consists of sub-models in hydrology, hydraulics, micro-habitat and macro-habitat suitability, life cycle suitability, environmental economy, uncertainty of natural disturbances, consensus building, and so on. Recent developments in the sub-models are explained through examples.
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