A number of human activities can cause destruction of natural vegetation and habitat structure along shorelines of lakes and rivers. These activities include urban stormwater control (channelization of creeks), infilling of lake shoreline areas for creation of parks, streambank alterations at pipeline and road crossings to name only a few.
In addition to reducing erosion and thus, protecting water quality, shoreline rehabilitation and regeneration also increases habitat diversity for both aquatic and terrestrial wildlife and improves overall aesthetics; however, the definition of ’aesthetically pleasing’ is quite subjective. For example in urban settings, people like to ’see’ the creek or pond, therefore manicured lawns often dominate the shorelines and stream banks. Natural trees and shrubs which provide natural bank stability are often removed. For flood control in urban areas, streams are engineered and often appear as concrete channels or gabion-lined watercourses. From a biological perspective, none of the above conditions are particularly productive and habitat diversity is low.
In the following case studies, natural shorelines have been negatively impacted by human activity and rehabilitation options have been presented or implemented. These areas were selected as they include a variety of problem types, habitat types, and regeneration plans.