The Ecohydrology of South American Rivers and Wetlands

Ecohydrological processes serve to regulate environmental conditions within aquatic systems, maintaining energy levels, water quantity and water quality, within ranges suitable to native flora and fauna. South America, the wettest and most ecologically diverse continent on Earth with an unrivalled waterscape of giant rivers and wetlands, has great opportunities to capitalize on the natural attenuation effects of ecohydrological processes. South Americans have greatly benefited from the resources derived from their rivers and wetlands, but these aquatic systems have not generally benefited from their association with humans. Dam building, dredging, and canalization are expanding across the continent, eliminating the natural flow regimes of many river reaches and draining wetlands. Much riparian vegetation lying along river margins has been removed. Disturbance of riparian zones has changed the rates of material exchanges from land to aquatic systems, generally increasing erosion and contaminant fluxes. Uncontrolled waste discharges have also degraded water quality in many urban rivers and wetlands, with consequent negative impacts on the health of many urban and downstream rural poor. The chapter titles and contents, and authors, are listed overleaf. The International Association of Hydrological Sciences is the world's premier member-based organization promoting the study and practice of Hydrology. Our books are authored, edited and produced at the highest level of quality, with the most current and thorough research. Our publications and our work advance the science and the professional practice of Hydrology in a variety of Science and Engineering fields around the world. The areas that we publish in include: • Ground water • Surface water • Snow and ice hydrology • Drought and desertification • Runoff modelling • Watershed • Remote sensing • Water quality • Water resources and management • Ecohydrology/hydro-ecology • Erosion and sediment • Tracer hydrology