Summary of Five Components of a River
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In this section, How
Rivers Run, we presented an overview of
very complex river systems based on a
five-component framework. Central themes that
repeatedly emerge are the interconnectedness of
land and water; that healthy systems have
evolved natural regimes to maintain them and
sustain us; that water cycles through systems
such that we all live upstream and we all live
downstream, in other words, "wastes" don't
disappear; and that our clumsy if not careless
interventions with complex ecosystems are not
done without costly consequences.
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In short, we provide a scientific foundation to
explain why it makes sense to manage rivers and
streams as systems, considering relationships among
all five components. This management approach is
based on a healthy respect, if not reverence, for
how rivers run, versus a narrowly focused approach
that attempts to run the rivers.
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