This paper is concerned with development and application of a
conceptual model of the river restoration process and, through a
specific case study, a demonstration of the challenges that arise when
combining ecological and geomorphological principles with social and
economic issues. Thus, it demonstrates the difference between the ideal
goals of river restoration and the practical determinants of the nature
of a river restoration that derive from individual and community goals.
It begins by exploring theoretically what a river restoration project
might involve. It then introduces the options developed for restoration
of a particular case study river and the associated decisionmaking
process. As a result of strong community involvement, institutional and
financial regulations, the location of the restoration site in a
National Park, and the influence of governmental and non-governmental
organizations, the actual decisionmaking process resulted in a
practical river restoration that departed significantly from the
idealized goals of a restoration defined in purely scientific terms. It
is argued that these practical limitations are likely to remain the
dominant influence upon the nature and scope of river restoration
projects.