Considering urban stream naturalization - Ecosystem criteria for habitat quality and quantity

There is a recent emphasis in urban watershed management on the development of self-sustaining ecosystems particularly in stream channels. Although there are a wide range of practices (BMPs) available for channel management, there is little guidance on selection criteria, and almost no information on the ecological performance of in-stream management practices operating within a single stream reach or at several locations throughout a watershed. To develop selection guidance, it will be necessary to first examine the ecological performance of BMPs and then develop a protocol for watershed-wide evaluation of the contribution of both inchannel and landscape BMPs to ecosystem sustainability. This paper will review methods for integrating hydraulic, geomorphological, and ecological information to derive measures of ecological performance that are appropriate for different scales. A particular focus will be on the ecological performance of BMP types and the appropriateness of particular practices for system-wide improvements in ecological resources.