Rivers and their watersheds constitute some of the most dynamic and complex landscapes. Rivers have sustained human communities, and human societies have utilized and altered river flows in a number of ways for millennia. However, the level of human impact on rivers, and on watershed environments, has become acute during the last hundred years or so.
This book brings together empirical research and theoretical perspectives on the changing conditions of a range of river basin environments in the contemporary world, including the history and culture of local societies living in these river basins. It provides theoretical insights on the patterns and nature of the interaction between rivers and their use by human communities. The chapters are written from a variety of positions, including environmental science, hydrology, human ecology, urban studies, water management, historical geography, cultural anthropology and tourism studies.
The case studies span different geographical regions, providing valuable insight on the multifaceted interactions between rivers and our societies, and on the changing riverscapes in different parts of the world. Specific detailed examples are included from Australia, Brazil, France, India, Iran, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, UK and USA.
Chapter 11 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license.
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction Rivers and Society 2. Rivers as Socioecological Landscapes 3. Rivers and Communities: Can We Drought Proof a Catchment or an Entire Country? 4. Arid Lands, Saline Lands: Water in the form of a major river under stress, the Murray-Darling System in Australia 5. Life, Identity and Work in an Arid River Basin: The Case of the Zayandeh-Rud (Life-Giving River) in Central Iran 6. Rivers and Water Security: Supply adaptation strategies in the City of Chennai, India 7. The Velho Chico: perceptions and conflicts 8. Rivers as Vernacular Landscapes 9. Keep it Flowing: The Restoration Ecology of Indigenous Culture and Language Along the Missouri River 10. The End of the Los Angeles River: A paradox 11. The River’s Embrace: The Rhine-Meuse Delta (Re)Imagined Chapter 12: Art Custodians of Our Rivers: Basia Irland: Watershed Sculpture and Ichi Ikeda 1 13. Hydrocitizenship: Concepts and Insights from the Lee Valley, UK 14. River Tourism 15. Rivers and Regional Development: The Case of the Herault River in South-western France 16. Rivers and Society: A Synthesis
