Figuring out what exactly is a braided river

Do you live or farm beside a braided river? A key issue in determining how braided rivers are managed, is trying to figure out the boundary between ‘braided river’ and ‘land’. In the most simplistic terms, this means the ability to draw a line on a map and say, inside that line is ‘braided river’ (even if sections of it are temporarily dry river beds sprouting shrubs and trees), while outside is ‘land’, much of which is farmland. ECan is in the process of working out where those lines should be, through a combination of public consultation (the BRIDGE Project) plus geographer’s tools that explain the physical characteristics that define a ‘braided river’.

In addition to the document published a few weeks back, two further documents to help define these physical characteristics are now available:

• Braidplain Delineation Methodology
• Braided Rivers: Natural characteristics, threats, and approaches to better management

If you live beside a braided river, and/or are attending the BRIDGE Project meetings scheduled next month, I would urge you to read these documents. The diagrams below are taken from NIWA’s Braidplain-delineation-methodology.