Addressing stakeholder concerns using the Integrative River Rehabilitation Model (IRRM)

We have previously reported on a variety of modelling methods and decision support concepts that can assist with various aspects of river rehabilitation planning and management. Here, we bring all of these tools together into an Integrative River Rehabilitation Model (IRRM) that links management actions, through morphological and hydraulic changes, to the final ecological and economic consequences. The IRRM is formulated as a probability network and represents the relevant cause-effect relations among important biotic and abiotic factors, leading to attributes (model endpoints) of concern to river system stakeholders. Together with a model of the stakeholders’ preference structure for different levels of these attributes, the IRRM is intended to provide a comprehensive basis for supporting river rehabilitation decisions. While many opportunities for further model improvement and uncertainty reduction exist, we believe that the present version of the model provides a flexible framework that can be adapted and refined according to local project-specific needs and data availability. We exemplify model application to three large planned or recently completed rehabilitation projects in Switzerland.