Waterway geomorphic principles – the ‘Physical Form Five’
The physical form, processes and landscape interactions of a river are critical to its ability to support various ecological, social, cultural and economic values.
As we’ve transitioned from a narrow focus on ‘channel stability’, waterway managers have had limited guidance on how to work with rivers.
If we want to protect and restore the various values of a river, we need to understand and manage the physical form, processes and landscape interactions that support them.
To enable this, Streamology and it’s think tank (looking at you Ian Rutherfurd and James Grove) have drafted a set of high-level, reasonably simple principles to inform the management of physical form and process – the Physical Form Five.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll share a series of posts that delve deeper into each element of the ‘Physical Form Five”:
Value form and process.
Create corridors.
Think about the system.
Understand your waterway.
Vegetate.