UNLESS SOMEONE LIKE YOU CARES A WHOLE AWFUL LOT, NOTHING IS GOING TO GET BETTER IT'S NOT - Dr. Seuss
Riparian
According to the Sensitive Ecosystem Inventory the importance of this ecosystem includes its rarity (most riparian plant communities as listed with the BC Conservation Data Center as rare), high biodiversity, fragility (sensitive to disturbance and changes in hydrology), aquatic habitat protection, water quality, wildlife corridors, flood protection and erosion reduction as well as social values.
Riparian ecosystems are defined as ecosystems that are adjacent to, and significantly influenced by a water body. These sites are more moist, and have a plant community that is distinct from the surrounding upland.
Riparian and streambank vegetation maintains the cohesive nature of the stream bank, and reduces the power of the stream. During flood events, riparian vegetation catches fine nutrient– rich sediment, thus maintaining the productivity of the site. Without this vegetation, streambank destabilization and erosion may occur, resulting in loss of land and a wider shallow stream channel. The accumulation of sediments (from erosion) can harm fish and aquatic habitats and reduce water quality. It can take many decades to stabilize denuded stream banks and restore narrow, deep stream channels. Riparian vegetation also provides inputs of organic matter into soils, which increases their capacity to absorb and store water. Additionally, riparian vegetation moderates water temperatures, provides an important source of food for many aquatic organisms, and provides important wildlife cover for reproduction/nesting and feeding. Riparian ecosystems are typically linear in nature. These ecosystems are also divided into distinct classes (bench, gully, fringe, and river) according to their environmental and vegetation characteristics:
Bench Riparian Ecosystems
Bench riparian ecosystems are flood or fluvial ecosystems. They have distinct characteristics that are associated with moving water such as creeks, streams and rivers. Bench riparian ecosystems are rich in nutrients, species and vegetation structural diversity. Generally, these sites are productive and develop more quickly after disturbance than adjacent upland sites. Typically, these ecosystems occur as a band on either side of a creek and often form natural corridors through the landscape. Soils of this ecosystem type are typically sandy and gravely, and poorly developed. They usually have a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees in the overstory, with shrubby understories.
Gully Riparian Ecosystems
Gully riparian ecosystems occur at the base and lower slopes of moderate to steep– sided linear sites (small valleys or ravines) with significant moisture. These ecosystems have either permanent or intermittent surface water flow, or significant subsurface flow, but are usually not subject to flooding. These are also rich and productive sites, and they form natural corridors, providing habitat that is distinctly different from the surrounding landscape. These ecosystems usually have a mixed coniferous and deciduous overstory with shrubby understories. Slopes are often steep, and soils are variable.
Fringe Riparian Ecosystems
Fringe riparian ecosystems are those that occur as a narrow band along the shorelines of lakes and ponds. Sandy, gravely soils are common in these ecosystems and soils are often gleysols or mottled. This class also includes sites on fluvial fans, and sites with significant seepage that are sensitive to soil and hydrological disturbances; soils are typically medium–textured on these sites.
River Riparian Ecosystems
River Riparian Ecosystems occur along the vegetated sandbars and flowing water.
Information on Riparian Ecosystems from the Regional District of Central Okanagan, DEVELOPMENT PERMIT AREAS Appendix I: Aquatic Ecosystem Development Permit Area & Guidelines
Central Okanagan Riparian- Sensitive Ecosystems Inventory, Ministry of Environment
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What you can do to help
• Discourage human settlement or other development within or adjacent to riparian areas.
• Riparian vegetation should be maintained where it is present, and restored with native plants where it has been lost.
• Manage access actively (e.g. with fencing and railings) to minimize the effects of recreation and other human uses.
• Where practical or necessary, restrict livestock access with fencing. To allow safe wildlife access, fences should be top–railed, page–wire should not be used, and bottom wires should be no less than 45cm above ground level.
• Control pets. Pets should be restrained and hunting dogs should be trained away from riparian areas during the spring and summer. Other disturbances to waterfowl during the nesting season should also be avoided.
• Protect structural features: Large trees, snags, logs provide critical nesting habitat for many species of birds and animals. Large, old cottonwood trees and snags are especially important for birds, bats and other animals.
• Eliminate use of pesticides in or near water and important foraging areas for wildlife. Pesticide use near foraging habitat for animals that feed on insects (e.g., Olive–sided Flycatcher and Common Night Hawk) should be avoided.
• Allow natural disturbances to occur. Flooding, windthrow, channel changes, slope failures and debris flows are recognized as important factors in the creation and maintenance of high diversity riparian habitats. These events and processes should be maintained within established no disturb zones unless they pose a threat to safety or property.
• Where hazardous natural processes occur in potential development areas, additional setbacks or other mitigation measures may be required.
• Where measures are required to reduce potential for property damage, work within the natural boundary of a watercourse will require a Water Act Approval issued by the Province. Protective works shall be designed and constructed in an environmentally sensitive manner that recognized and maintains the intrinsic ecological values inherent with riparian ecosystems.
• Minimize bank or flood protection. Development that requires channel stabilization, deposition of rip–rap, and vegetation removal reduces riparian diversity and habitats.
• Maintain natural hydrologic regimes. Deforestation, removal of vegetation, or increased impervious surfacing can result in significant increases in the size, duration, and frequency of surface runoff and floods. Bank erosion can also worsen.