How do we Measure the Health of Riparian Areas

Riparian “health” is defined here as a set of environmental conditions that result in the long-term sustainability of the riparian habitat. The quality of the riparian habitat refers to how well it supplies the physical, chemical and biological needs of the organisms living there. Riparian ecosystem structure and function respond to both abiotic and biotic forces, and this method focuses on 12 indicators of the health of these forces, ranging from vegetation cover to streambed geology. The method applies the 12 criteria to numerically evaluate riparian habitat using geomorphological and biological parameters. Each criterion is semi-quantitatively evaluated on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 the healthiest and 1 the least healthy. This approach is based upon systematic sampling by the authors in numerous watersheds in New Mexico.