ECOLOGICAL MODELS FOR RIVERS FLOODPLAIN REHABILITATION

In The Netherlands, projects have been started by the government conce rning ecological rehabilitation of rivers and river floodplains. Hydro logical, morphological and ecological models are indispensable tools t o riveT basin management. In this paper a cluster of models is present ed which have been used to predict and assess the effectivity of measu res on improving the environmental quality and the ecological rehabili tation of the floodplains. The cluster of models consists of a simulat ion model for riparian vegetation development, habitat suitability eva luation models and an expert system concerning the contamination of ri ver habitats and its ecological impact. This approach will result in a n integrated ecological, environmental and water management in order t o realize the ecological objectives for the rivers in The Netherlands.