The role of stream restoration in enhancing ecosystem services

Abstract Striving for an integrated semi-natural stream-floodplain system as restoration target would optimally serve biodiversity and the provisioning of ecosystem services. This pursuit is currently limited by multiple pressures constraints that come with, amongst others, a high human population density intensive land-use. To be able to weigh ecological societal needs in lowland-stream watersheds, we analysed developments relation actual potential state ecosystems services these systems provide. reach ecological-societal balance stream restoration, pose five steps: (i) Choose clear realistic target, (ii) Map quantify environmental stressors at local watershed scale, (iii) biological indicators regional (iv) List measures remove or mitigate stressors, (v) Build scenarios, composed combinations fitting context watershed. The most promising scenarios make use processes involve establishing transverse landscape zonation, from streams’ riparian zone uplands. Such transition poses challenge policy makers implies strong change. Therefore, framework provided with building blocks help find suitable practice.