Upland river systems constantly evolve in response to a wide range of
complex and interlinked processes. These include internal factors such
as the discharge, sediment supply and transfer, and the role of the
channel boundary. All are influenced by external catchment-scale
factors including climate and land use. Managing these systems to
reduce flood risk, prevent bank erosion and preserve habitats is
typically carried out without sufficient consideration of the complex
interrelationships governing the fluvial system. This is partly due to
a lack of broad-scale thinking and partly due to the intensive
field-based data collection required to inform the processes. As such,
decisions are often ill-informed, becoming unsuccessful or simply
shifting the problems elsewhere in the system. Furthermore, the
continually changing nature of rivers makes management more challenging
as an implemented scheme is highly unlikely to remain effective in the
long term. While upland catchment hydrology and the implications of
climate and land-use change have received much attention in recent
decades, in-channel interactions between sediment transfer and
morphological change have been relatively neglected. These interactions
are fundamental to flood risk, lateral channel adjustment, and habitat
and ecology; thus, they require a more concentrated research effort.
Central to this is a more holistic approach to catchment operations and
a greater understanding of the links between the in-channel dynamics
and broader catchment changes.