Journal
WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
Volume 29, Issue 1, Pages 27-39Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s11273-020-09765-6
Keywords
Longitudinal connectivity; Riparian vegetation; Forest corridor; Plant invasions; Biotic resistance; Riverine landscape management
Categories
Funding
- European Union through the ERDF
- Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region
- Agence de l'Eau Rhone-Mediterranee-Corse
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Riparian corridors are vital for maintaining regional biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Different riverbank stabilisation structures were studied, with soil bioengineering structures showing the most ecological benefits in terms of habitat quality and connectivity.
Riparian corridors play an important role for the maintenance of regional biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Riparian forests are even the only semi-natural vegetation strips remaining in many agricultural or urbanised landscapes. In such landscapes, the spatial continuity of riparian vegetation is frequently broken by the construction of stabilisation structures engineered for erosion control. Here, we examined the effects of different riverbank stabilisation structures-fascines (soil bioengineering), ripraps (hard engineering), and mixed-technique (lower-bank ripraps with upper-bank plantings)-on the structural connectivity of their respective riverbanks. We first revisited previously studied stabilisation structures to extend their vegetation sampling to their adjacent riverbanks. Then, for each type of stabilisation structure, we compared community composition, richness and abundance of native and invasive alien species (IAS), and cover of vegetation strata (herbaceous, shrub and tree) between stabilised embankments and their upstream and downstream banks. Results indicated that, although the composition of fascine banks differed from that of their adjacent riverbanks, they fitted nicely in the structural continuity of their riparian surroundings. Differences were likely explained by the proportion of fast-growing woody species (e.g. willows) planted in fascines, which also induced strong reductions in IAS richness and abundances; i.e. propagule sinks. Conversely, ripraps broke the structural continuity of riverbanks and were heavily dominated by IAS while mixed-technique banks displayed intermediate characteristics. Consequently, we argued that fascines may be the riverbank stabilisation structures displaying highest ecological benefits in terms of habitat quality and connectivity and should be preferred over the other investigated engineering techniques.
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