摘要：Freshwater ecosystems and their biota are more seriously threatened than theirmarine and terrestrial counterparts. A solution to halt increasing negative impacts ofanthropogenic development would be to reconsider the basics of nature conservation(i.e. protection of pristine and near-pristine areas) and restoration (i.e. returning animpacted site to as natural condition as possible) through inclusion of the knowledge onabiotic and biotic dynamics of rivers draining pristine catchments. In boreal and Arcticregions, such comparisons are still possible because in addition to harbouring stronglymodified drainage basins, some of the most natural drainage basins are also situated inthese high-latitude areas.2. A suitable approach for simultaneous planning of joint river conservation andrestoration would be to (i) examine how well different kinds of rivers are covered byexisting protected area networks and (ii) to restore parts of degraded rivers to facilitate colonization by aquatic and riparian organisms that have found havens in existingprotected areas. This joint approach is a two-way road, as conservation and restorationbenefit from each other by allowing river networks to facilitate movements of organisms and matter, thereby mimicking natural riverine meta-systems in anthropogenically modified drainage basins, with restored sites acting as stepping-stones betweenprotected areas.3. We argue that existing policy instruments should consider the fact that river ecosystems are spatially and temporally dynamic meta-systems. These characteristics shouldbe given due attention in conservation and restoration rather than relying on a staticapproach where a snap-shot classification of river reaches is thought to be enoughwithout considering underlying ecological dynamics. Taking ecological dynamics intoaccount would contribute to sustainable management and maintenance of biodiversityand ecosystem services.
