Restoration

December 2008 World Rivers Review: Special Focus on River Restoration Progress in restoring Florida's Everglades, said to be the largest ecosystem restoration project in history, may be held back for another decade by numerous budget and procedural problems. Since the approval of the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP) by Congress in 2000, not one of the 60 proposed components of the plan have been completed, bringing serious concern for the continued loss of endangered ecosystems and dwindling public support. "The process is a mess," says Sara Fain, Nationa

December 2008 World Rivers Review: Special Focus on River Restoration The modern story of the Iraqi Marshlands begins tragically - with intentional environmental destruction used as a political weapon - but today is one of miraculous renewal, international cooperation and hope. Once at the brink of total collapse, the area has been restored to a point where it will soon be proposed as a UN World Heritage Site. The Iraqi Marshlands, said to be the location of the Garden of Eden, are also home to a 5,000-year-old civilization and rich biodiversity. Located at the confluence of the Tigris and

December 2008 World Rivers Review: Special Focus on River Restoration Crossing through ten countries and draining the territory of 19 countries, the Danube is the most international river in the world. In addition to the 83 million people living in the river basin, the Danube is home to globally important species of flora and fauna.In its 2,780 km course from Germany's Black Forest to its outlet at the Black Sea, the Danube basin supports a diverse system of natural habitats and unique biological diversity. The Danube River Basin has more than 100 different species of fish - including five st

December 2008 World Rivers Review: Special Focus on River RestorationIn Spain, dam removal has been increasing in the past decade. Water oversight committees, municipalities, and, above all, anglers and environmental groups are pressing for healthier ways to manage rivers. Alcalá del Río, Guadalquivir River, Sevilla, Spain Courtesy of Pedro Brufao, Rios con Vida Almost all of the demolitions in Spain have been of small dams, but some larger dams are currently under review, such as Alcalá del Río and Cantillana dams in Seville, which eliminated the sturgeon population in the Guadalquivir

December 2008 World Rivers Review: Special Focus on River Restoration Featured River Restorers: William Dvorak Serena McClain Leaf Hillman Somkiat Singhakham Mark Angelo A Life of Rivers: William Dvorak by Tim Kingston Wil Dvorak, International Rivers' super volunteer Water and rivers have always been a part of Wil Dvorak's life. He was born three blocks from the river in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and built his first kayak at 13. When not busy at International Rivers putting together the River Revival Bulletin, Dvorak can be found camping and kayaking the western states alo

December 2008 World Rivers Review: Special Focus on River Restoration The Sandy River in Oregon is undergoing a restoration since the Marmot Dam was removed. Wikipedia When the nearly 50-foot-high Marmot Dam was removed from the Sandy River in Oregon last year, some estimated it could take two to five years for the river to process the rocks, gravel and sand that had collected in the reservoir for decades. Instead, the river cleaned itself out in months. In fact, the day after the dam was removed, federally protected Coho salmon were migrating past the former dam site. This summer,

From December 2008 World Rivers Review: Special Focus on River Restoration We talked with some of the world's best experts and advocates for dam removal to find out what lessons they have learned on this complex topic, and what hopes they have for reviving the world's dammed rivers. Below are their answers to a few questions about what it takes to create a successful dam decommissioning campaign. 1. When approaching a dam removal project, what is the first thing you have to know, the first step, the first thing you would tackle? Helen Sarakinos, whose group, the River Allian

The Kafue Flats in Zambia is an amazing wetland landscape of grasslands, lagoons and reed beds, covering about 6500 km2 of the Kafue River Basin, a tributary of the Zambezi. They are home to more than 470 species of birds and a wide variety of mammals, including the endemic Kafue lechwe, a rare species of antelope. There are two national parks which together have been designated as a Ramsar site – a wetland of international importance. Apart from being a haven for wildlife, the Flats are also important for people’s livelihoods. It is estimated that about 700,000 people live in, or in the