Virtual Presentation 10th Australian Stream Management Conference 2021

Although the primary natural controls on river form and dynamics are the flow regime and the amount and size of sediment available for mobilisation-transport-deposition by the flow, vegetation is becoming increasingly recognised as a third crucial element in most river environments. The potential impacts of plants on river form and dynamics are important not only for understanding the natural functioning of rivers but also for devising sustainable rehabilitation strategies.

This presentation explores the following ways in which plants may influence river systems:

• The characteristics/traits of plant species capable of initiating landform development and thus performing as river engineers
• The types of landforms initiated and stabilised by engineer plants
• The reach scale effects of such landforms and their dynamics on the morphological styles of rivers
• The importance of recognising and supporting plant engineering of rivers in the context of river restoration.