Supplemental Reading

For more information on riverine biodiviserity see: 

• People need freshwater biodiversity.

For more information on river degradation caused by agricultural practices see: 

• Desarrollo de las piñeras en Costa Rica y sus impactos sobre ecosistemas naturales y agro-urbanos.

• Fuerzas centrífugas y centrípetas en el Pacífico Sur de Costa Rica: los impactos de la expansión agroindustrial.

For more information about policy mismatches between river conservation, economic development,  and climate change mitigation policies see: 

• A new era of big infrastructure? [Re-] developing water storage in the U.S. West in the context of climate change and environmental regulation.

• Central American integration through infrastructure development: a case study of Costa Rican hydropower

For more information on conflicts related to river defenders and Indigenous peoples see: 

• The many-headed Hydra: Assessing the Indigenous-hydropower cycle in Costa Rica.

• FERC, hydropower, and tribal rights: Confrontations at the Little Colorado River

For more information about river conservation as Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change see: 

• Forested Riparian Buffers as Climate Adaptation Tools for Management of Riverine Flow and Thermal Regimes: A Case Study in the Meramec River Basin.

• Legible Rivers, Resilient Rivers: Lessons for Climate Adaptation Policy from the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

For more information on guidelines and targets aimed at protecting, restoring, and managing  rivers see:

• Making global targets local for freshwater protection.

• Strategic adaptive management guidelines for effective conservation of freshwater ecosystems in and around protected areas of the world.

• Protecting and restoring habitats to benefit freshwater biodiversity. Environmental Reviews

• Durable Freshwater Protection: A Framework for Establishing and Maintaining Long-Term Protection for Freshwater Ecosystems and the Values They Sustain.

For examples of existing river protection, restoration, and management see:

• Conserving the Paraguay-Paraná Fluvial Corridor in the XXI Century: Conflicts, Threats, and Challenges.

• Using Partnerships and Community Science to Protect Wild and Scenic Rivers in the Eastern United States.

• Picking Up Where the TMDL Leaves Off: Using the Partnership Wild and Scenic River Framework for Collaborative River Restoration.

• Adaptive Management of Malkumba-Coongie Lakes Ramsar Site in Arid Australia—A Free Flowing River and Wetland System.

• Identification of Priority Conservation Areas for Protected Rivers Based on Ecosystem Integrity and Authenticity: A Case Study of the Qingzhu River, Southwest China.

• Sustainable Floodplains: Linking E-Flows to Floodplain Management, Ecosystems, and Livelihoods in the Sahel of North Africa.

• Safeguarding Free-Flowing Rivers: The Global Extent of Free-Flowing Rivers in Protected Areas.

• Sustainable Management Options for Healthy Rivers in South Asia: The Case of Brahmaputra.

• What Do Environmental Flows Mean for Long-term Freshwater Ecosystems’ Protection? Assessment of the Mexican Water Reserves for the Environment Program.

• Legal Protection Schemes for Free-Flowing Rivers in Europe: An Overview.

• How to Protect Free Flowing Rivers: The Bita River Ramsar Site as an Example of Science and Management Tools Working Together. Identifying Riparian Areas of Free Flowing Rivers for Legal Protection: Model Region Mongolia.

For more information on environmental flows see:

• Environmental Flow Assessments Are Not Realizing Their Potential as an Aid to Basin Planning

• Re-Thinking Environmental Flows: From Allocations and Reserves to Sustainability Boundaries

• A presumptive standard for environmental flow protection

• A three-level framework for assessing and implementing environmental flows

• How much groundwater can we pump and protect environmental flows through time?

• Water for the Environment: From Policy and Science to Implementation and Management

• Listen to the river: Lessons from a global review of environmental flow success stories