Rivers and Biodiversity

So there was an interesting article in my local paper about extending a protected nature reserve and this time to include a further nine hectares of a riparian forest. What is a riparian forest?

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A riparian forest or riparian woodland is a forested or wooded area of land adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary, canal, sink or reservoir. Etymology The term riparian comes from the Latin word ripa, 'river bank'; technically it only refers to areas adjacent to flowing bodies of water such as rivers, streams, sloughs and estuaries. However, the terms riparian forest and riparian zone have come to include areas adjacent to non-flowing bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, playas and reservoirs.

Wiki

Whilst the nearest river to me, the Aurajoki (River Aura), is less than one kilometre away, the local river closest to my heart is the Savijoki, that is an offshoot of the Aura: a long winding narrow river, little more than a babbling brook in places, which nonetheless has provided the agricultural heartland of this rich fertile area. ‘Savi’ means clay (joki = river) and it is this clay sediment that makes for the fertility of the soil.

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one of the three nature reserves established [...] is located on the banks of Savijoki in the village of Sillilä. The area is scenically beautiful, partly with steep sloping meadows and patches of bank erosion. Between the river Savijoki and the field on the east side of it, the meadow is in its lower parts a meadow with mesian tall grass. In the southern part of the area, the nature reserve also includes a slope and a riparian forest. On the meadow patches on the steepest slopes, there is plenty of bougainvillea and yellow heather, as well as some cat's bell. There is no real juniper forest in the area, but a few individual junipers diversify the area's landscape.

TS

The bird life is typical of meadow and coastal thickets, which includes the skylark, wood sparrow and red sparrow. The rarest bird is the plover, whose presence in Finland has decreased to such an extent it has become a ‘very endangered’ species.

There are some notable hiisikirnu ‘sacrifice’ stones (cup shapes scooped out of boulders) at the Sillilä bridge end of the river. Ancient West Finns used to worship a deity named Hiisi (which early Christians deemed the devil) and they would leave sacrifices (usually plants and seeds) in the cups of these mysterious stones, hidden amongst the leafy groves. These rocks are protected by the Antiquities Board as protected monuments. Quite a few place names in the area refer to Hiisi. At the back is a grove of walnut bushes, which a local resident believes could help with sheep grazing and to drive out coastal snakes. There are foxes, badgers, racoons and rare flying squirrels.

So the plan is to protect the area of natural outstanding beauty from the following threats:

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Threats to riparian forests: • Cleared for agricultural use because of the good soil quality • Historically, trees used as wood fuel for steamships, steam locomotives, etc.[2] • Urban development (housing, roads, malls, etc.) • Grazing • Mining • Disrupted hydrology, such as dams and levees, which reduces the amount and/or frequency of flooding • Invasive species

wiki, ibid

So let’s hear it for the humble river.

via International Skeptics Forum https://ift.tt/Zc2Hqfn