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partially succeeds because it concentrates on thebiology of aquatic macroinvertebrates, thusperpetuating the unfortunate perception that becausethey have been studied the most, macroinvertebratesare the most important component of lotic ecosystems.

I was encouraged to see, early in the authors’ preface,reference made to the importance of expanding thetraditional underwater focus of biologists to includehabitats of the banks and beyond, thus incorporatingthe important links between the surrounding landscapeand the river channel. I was therefore disappointed tofind virtually no mention in the main text of riverhabitats such as exposed gravel deposits, bankside treeroots or riparian wetlands, and scant attention paid toaquatic macrophytes which play such an important partin lotic ecosystems both as primary producers andhabitat structures. The mismatch between scientificparochialism and the practical reality of managingrivers and their wetlands needs to be rectified—atextbook which bridges the gap at undergraduate levelis desperately needed. Prospective authors would dowell to read Harper and Ferguson (1995).

Bearing in mind the inherent bias of the book, whichthe authors readily admit to, how is the bookstructured and how good are the contents? Chapters1–3 comprise almost one third of the text and deal withthe hydrological, physical and chemical background torivers and streams. These provide a solid introductionand also identify useful cross-linkages with loticmacroinvertebrate communities. Chapter 4 is essentiallya checklist of life-forms in running water, focusingalmost exclusively on those taxonomic groups whichare best understood and have the most establishedliterature. Chapter 5 represents a good precis of therange of morphological, physiological and life-cycleadaptations by various aquatic macroinvertebrate taxato life in running water, but an opportunity was missedfor exploring adaptations to running water by plants. Abrief reference to dippers and otters in the section onterritoriality and aggression is a bit out of kilter withthe rest of the chapter.

Chapter 6 usefully explores some facets of energytransfer in relation to nutrients and organicdecomposition. Better cross-referencing to thegeomorphological processes mentioned in Chapter 3would have contributed usefully to the intended aim of

an integrated approach. Chapters 7 and 8 concentrateon movement, colonization patterns and communitypatterns including diversity. Given the global scope ofthis book, it is difficult to illustrate generic conceptswith specific examples, but the authors have managedthis reasonably well.

The use, abuse and conservation of running watersprovided the opportunity for a strong concludingchapter, one which would grasp the imagination and setundergraduates thinking. As such, Chapter 9 does notset the pulse racing, although there are some solidexamples of the use and abuse of rivers. Given theimportance of human impact, it would have been usefulto see a few more examples illustrating riparian andriverine habitat degradation instead of just citingreferences. One or two examples of rehabilitationmeasures would have been particularly useful, as wouldreference to future scenarios given climate change.

The book ends with two short sections: onesuggesting simple studies which could be undertaken;the other containing suggestions for further reading:both reflect the macroinvertebrate expertise andexperience of the authors. There is an extensivereference list comprising more than 550 scientific papersand books.

The quality of the print and the layout is excellentthroughout. Overall, I would describe the book as anup-dated and slimmed down version of Hynes (1970),and one which will be useful to those who want toconcentrate on habitat requirements of aquaticmacroinvertebrates. Those undergraduates andnewcomers to the water industry who want a morebalanced introduction to river habitats and ecology willhave to look elsewhere.

REFERENCES

Harper, D.M. and Ferguson, A.J.D. (Eds) 1995. TheEcological Basis for Ri6er Management, John Wiley,Chichester.Hynes, H.B.N. 1970. The Ecology of Running Waters,Liverpool University Press, Liverpool.

PAUL RAVEN

En6ironment Agency, Bristol, UK

REHABILITATION OF RIVERS: PRINCIPLESAND IMPLEMENTATION edited by L.C. De Waal,A.R.G. Large and P.M. Wade, John Wiley & Sons,1998. 331 pp. Price £75.00. ISBN 0-471-95753-4.

The book sets out with the laudable objective ofbringing together collective experience and emergingknowledge to ensure that current efforts on riverrehabilitation are well directed. It is divided into two

sections, the first (Chapters 2–7), dealing with theprinciples underlying rehabilitation of the riverenvironment, and the second describing specificrehabilitation projects, mostly from Europe (Chapters8–13, 15), and providing more general reviews of thecurrent problems and approaches to the ameliorationof degraded rivers in Australasia, Finland (related tofishing improvements) and Japan (Chapters 14, 16, 17).Most of the contributors took part in a workshop

Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Aquatic Conser6: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. 10: 73–75 (2000)

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organized by the International Centre for LandscapeEcology, Loughborough (UK), but further chapterswere provided by authors from Australasia, Canada,Japan and the USA.

Several contributors discussed the concepts ofdegradation, restoration and rehabilitation to makeclear their objectives and there was a widespreadagreement that restoration to the pristine, natural stateis rarely, if ever, achievable. At best semi-naturalsystems must be the goal, but ones which satisfy arange of functions from the ecological, aesthetic andrecreational to flood defence, water supply and powergeneration, such functions requiring consideration ofthe physical nature of the river and its corridor, andaspects of water quality and flow. Some earlycontributions focused on the need for multi-disciplinaryteams, the crucial importance of clear objectives andthorough planning underpinned by communitysupport, an acceptance of a degree of empiricism,security of funding, and, wherever possible, a detailedpre- and post-appraisal.

The chapters demonstrated the widely differingpriorities in both regional aspirations and individualschemes. For example, the constraints on action inJapan with its high rainfall, short steep rivers,intensively developed floodplains and cultural proclivityfor sanitized nature, contrast greatly with those inAustralia with its large catchment basins, capriciousrainfall and major irrigation requirements, and where

water quality problems—turbidity, salinity andnutrient enrichment—are the perceived major concernsof waterway management. Similarly, descriptions ofindividual rehabilitation schemes varied fromsmall-scale projects in the Netherlands and UK,primarily focusing on landscape improvements, withsome attendant ecological and fishery benefits, to therehabilitation of the North American Great LakesWatershed. The latter is a long-term programmeconcerned with water-quality improvements, identifyingpast errors in remedial action programmes and theover-reliance on chemical monitoring and describingstrategies for the future.

The book is well edited although a few authors wereallowed undue laxity in describing details more suitablefor specialist journals. There were few textual errorsand most, but by no means all, illustrations contributedto the value of the book. It deserves to be consultedand widely read by those who seek to undo the damagedone to our river systems throughout the world,whether managers, planners, engineers, water chemistsor ecologists, and by those who accept the challenge ofrecreating multi-functionality, with concern not onlyfor what rivers provide but for what they are and couldbe. But, alas at £75 it is a book for libraries andorganizations rather than individual purchase.

RON EDWARDS

Talybont-on-Usk, Powys, UK

Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Aquatic Conser6: Mar. Freshw. Ecosyst. 10: 73–75 (2000)