Numerous extensions and applications of the River Styles^® framework work have been developed, emphasising links to habitat availability, river health, aquatic ecosystem structure and function and water management. A biophysical basis with which to assess uniqueness, naturalness and geodiversity is provided. From this, priorities for river conservation and rehabilitation programs can be determined. Within- and between-catchment comparisons provide a basis for regional-level determination of strategies and techniques for river management. Reference reaches can be defined across the range of River Styles^®, providing a biophysical basis for benchmarking and biomonitoring programs. In NSW, DNR are developing a reference reach database for examining geomorphic river condition. A professional short course is currently being developed on frameworks for assessing river condition and recovery potential. The first offering of this course will occur in late 2008.

In 2007, The River Styles^® Framework was awarded the Macquarie University Innovation award for Research. This award recognizes an innovation that takes the form of a significant and novel research advantage which has the potential to deliver major benefits to the community (Australia and International), including educational, environmental, health, industrial, technological and commercial.

For a link to the River Styles^® video, please visit:
http://www.mq.edu.au/innovationawards/Movies/2007/winners.htm

Applications of the River Styles^® framework have been applied across New South Wales and in many other states of Australia. Many of these are listed on the Publications page. Applications are also been conducted in the US and Alaska. If you are applying the framework in your local area we would like to hear about it. Send us an email to let us know where you have applied the framework.

River Styles^® now form a basis for river rehabilitation, water flow planning and ecological surveys being undertaken by the NSW Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It is also written into numerous catchment blueprints that are now administered by Catchment Management Authorities. Uptake of the framework by DNR has resulted in near-state wide River Styles^® coverage. This has set the benchmark for other states, and the Department of Natural Resources and Mines in Queensland, the Department of Primary Industries, Water and the Environment in Tasmania and the Department of Land, Water and Biodiversity Conservation in South Australia are now implementing similar strategies. A publication outlining how the River Styles framework can be used in river management is can be downloaded from the following reference.

Brierley, G.J., Fryirs, K., Outhet, D., and Massey, C.2002.Application of the River Styles framework to river management programs in New South Wales, Australia. Applied Geography. 22, 91-122.

The River Styles^® framework has been used as a basis for assessing geoecological condition and habitat availability along rivers. A framework that examines hydraulic units has been developed and applied. See our publications list to download or finding the following manuscripts on this work.

Brierley, G.J., Cohen, T., Fryirs, K. and Brooks, A.1999.Post-European changes to the fluvial geomorphology of Bega Catchment, Australia:Implications for river ecology.Freshwater Biology 41, 839-848.

Chessman, B.C., Fryirs, K.A. and Brierley, G.J. 2006. Linking geomorphic character, behaviour and condition to fluvial biodiversity: Implications for river rehabilitation. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Research. 16, 267-288.

Thomson, J.R., Taylor, M.P. and Brierley, G.J.2004.Are River Styles ecologically meaningful? A test of the ecological relevance of a geomorphic river characterisation scheme.Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Research.14, 25-48.

Thomson, J., Taylor, M.P., Fryirs, K.A. and Brierley, G.J.2001.A geomorphological framework for river characterisation and habitat assessment. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 11, 373-389.

The River Styles framework has also been applied in Urban settings. One application of this work occurred in Brisbane. The framework was modified for application in this setting. Details of how the framework can be used, and the proformas developed for this application are outlined in the following report which can be downloaded as a pdf.

Fryirs, K.A. 2003.Using the River Styles^® framework as a physical template upon which an anthropophysical layer can be developed for urban streams. In Water & Environment, City Design and Earth Tech Engineering Pty, Ltd. Cedar Creek River Styles Pilot Study. Report to Brisbane City Council.

"The responsibility of scientists now lies in practicing integrated science, for our society needs integrated knowledge. From this integration should flow a sense of responsibility, including a responsibility to communicate to non-scientists the extent of destruction of the natural world and the means to mitigate or reverse this destruction."

Ellen Wohl (2004, p264) - Disconnected Rivers

A major challenge of the new era of river conservation and rehabilitation is that of integrating the diverse and typically discipline-bound set of knowledge and practices. Integrative river science is considered a cross-disciplinary approach to analysis of river structure and function, emphasising concerns for the ecological integrity of river systems. There is a need for a coherent scientific platform with which to guide river rehabilitation practice. Coherent guidance for the restoration/rehabilitation process requires 'whole of system' thinking that moves beyond discipline-bound knowledge. In moving beyond engineering-based 'command and control' perspectives, more enlightened approaches to improvement of river health 'work with' the self-adjusting dynamics of river systems, as exemplified by the 'living rivers' with 'space to move' initiatives in Europe. Management success in endeavours to aid the recovery of aquatic ecosystems will not be achieved independent from effective use of the best scientific understanding. This is where the River Styles^® framework can be successfully applied and used.

It provides a structured set of generic principles that can be used to guide river rehabilitation initiatives on a system-by-system basis and can be used as a geomorphic template atop which a range of biophysical interactions can be examined. In addressing concerns for the ecological integrity of rivers, emphasis is placed on understanding the character and behaviour of each system, its evolution and likely trajectories of change, and identification of limiting factors that may compromise the viability of habitat along the river. Such thinking is framed within a social and managerial context, emphasising a transdisciplinary approach to river management.

A book has been published on the used of geomorphology in integrative river science:

Brierley, G.J. and Fryirs, K.A. (Eds.) 2008. River Futures: An Integrative Scientific Approach to River Repair. Island Press, Washington DC.

The Upper Hunter River Rehabilitation Initiative (UHRRI) is the largest integrated river rehabilitation and research project in Australia - and one of the largest in the world. UHRRI exemplifies how managers and scientists can work together to rehabilitate a large coastal river in NSW. The objectives of UHRRI include improving riverine ecological condition by establishing a predominantly native, riparian plant community and reintroducing woody debris to the channel. Multidisciplinary research examines the change in ecosystem dynamics that result. The vision is that rehabilitation will provide habitat for aquatic and terrestrial fauna, and the river will be valued for recreation, education and scientific purposes.

Recognising the inherent complexity of ecological forms and processes, the research component of UHRRI is framed in a scalar (nested hierarchical) approach, building on successful applications developed in the River Styles^® framework. This work integrates catchment-, reach- and local-scale controls on river forms and processes. To find out more about UHRRI go to this link:http://www.hcr.cma.nsw.gov.au/uhrri/index.php3