River Habitat Survey and applications

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The River Habitat Survey is a methodology for recording habitat features for wildlife that was designed by the Environment Agency, England and Wales and has since been applied in many other countries.

The River Habitat Survey is being used as a standard methodology for assessing hydromorphology as part of the Water Framework Directive in Europe and as a tool for monitoring river habitats and for assessing potential impacts of developments.  It has also been used as part of research projects on the links between species, habitats and environmental pressures and for species reintroduction or habitat enhancement work (see applications section).

The River Habitat Survey features an accreditation scheme run and managed by the Environment Agency, England and Wales (see the River Habitat Survey section and contact the Environment Agency for more information). There is also an equivalent Certification course that is being run by the River Restoration Centre in the UK that is opened to all and includes additional material for applications (http://www.therrc.co.uk).

This website was set up to provide background to the survey methodology and its applications and as a technical and methodological resource for existing surveyors and RHS trainers. It is not an official Environment Agency website.  It features a technical blog, a resource section with manuals, forms, reports, images and PowerPoint presentations, an events calendar with dates of training coursesand a map of existing RHS sites in the UK.