An 'expert-system' evaluation of the ecological condition of the river
s of the Morava catchment shows that the majority of river sections fl
owing through industrial or agricultural landscapes are in a very poor
ecological condition. Agriculture is the primary factor behind the cl
earing of the original floodplain forest and is most significantly imp
licated in the degradation of rivers and their aquifers. The importanc
e of forests for preserving the optimum ecological condition of river
ecosystems is stressed. One of the main concerns of river restoration
should, therefore, be the recreation of forest along the riverbanks as
similar as possible to the original forest type.