Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Ph.D. candidate, Hydraulic Structures Department, Faculty of Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
2
Professor, Hydraulic Structures Department, Faculty of Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
3
Assoiciated Professor, Hydraulic Structures Department, Faculty of Water and Environmental Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran.
Abstract
Rivers are known as the main sources of surface water in the world, which experience seasonal fluctuations in water level. These resources have severe damage to human societies and nature in flood conditions and have irreparable consequences in the drought seasons. Optimal utilization of these resources with maintaining the environmental conditions of the waterway and minimizing flood damage is considered one of the river engineering goals. Since the conventional methods of river management are imposed serious environmental threats on waterways and wetlands, consideration to these water resources requires attention to issues related to plant ecosystems, solving challenges of coastal bed erosion and predict the condition and management of the river in the future (Callow, 2012; Dawson and Haslam, 1983; Fan et al., 2013; Rose et al., 2010; Rowinski et al., 2018). One of the strategies that cause loss of flow energy in the river improves the hydrological system and river ecosystem is the presence of vegetation in the river banks and floodplains. Native vegetation in floodplains and coastal forests plays an important role in conserving waterway ecosystems, flood management, coastal protection in urban lands and agriculture adjacent to the river (Fathi-Moghadam, 1996). Vegetation will also control the width of the river and increase the stability of the shores by absorbing and settling suspended sediments in river banks. The plant species along rivers and waterways are composed of various vegetative components, mainly affected by the environmental conditions of their habitat, including the distance from the waterway bed, hydrological characteristics of the river, climatic and soil conditions. Obviously, the effect of each plant species in the ecosystem cycle varies and for each section of the river, a specific combination of plants will create optimal conditions.
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