SEM: Socio-ecological Management of Riverine Landscapes and Historical River Research
Leader: Severin Hohensinner
Deputy: Gertrud Haidvogl
Key research areas
- Development of assessment methods of biophysical attributes and societal conditions of river landscapes
- River restoration and conservation
- Strategic planning and socio-ecological river management
- Interdisciplinary historical river research
- Long-term change of rivers as socio-ecological systems
- River ecosystem services and sustainable development
Among the core tasks of the working group are the survey and analysis of biophysical conditions and processes in river-floodplain systems following a spatial multiscale approach. Interdisciplinary historical river research addresses the long-term development of rivers as socio-ecological systems and focuses on the interplay between hydromorphological and ecological conditions as well as human uses. Furthermore, the diverse ecosystem functions and services of river landscapes and methods of their assessment are subject of research.
The outcomes provide knowledge and data for implementation-orientated studies and projects, as for instance the development of guiding principles and reference conditions, the evaluation of impaired or restored river landscapes and the elaboration of protection and management tools and concepts.
