The ecology of riparian habitats of the southern California coastal region: A community profile

Abstract

In the 200 years since California's settlement by Europeans, almost every river in southern California has been channelized or dammed to allow development on the floodplains, causing the loss of a highly productive ecosystem. The riparian zone occurs along streambanks where soils are fertile and water is abundant; amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals all move back and forth across the riparian zone from streams into adjacent wetland and upland areas. Irreversible alterations of the riparian ecosystem result from the diversion or loss of transported water to the system through diking, damming, channelization, levee building, or road construction. Clearing for crops, grazing, or golf courses is potentially reversible as long as the water supply remains unaltered. Successful restoration work requires early agreement on project goals, site-specific restoration design, correct project implementation, enforcement of permit conditions, a maintenance and management program, and long-range monitoring. 288 refs., 54 figs., 13 tabs.