THE DEVELOPMENT OF PHYSICAL QUALITY OBJECTIVES FOR RIVERS IN ENGLAND AND WALES

Setting objectives for river restoration and rehabiliatation in the United Kingdom and proposal of a framework for setting Physical Quality Objectives (PQOs) using River Habitat Survey data. Indices of habitat modification and habitat quality are used to classifiy existing habitat conditions and to suggest objectives for improvement. Strategies for applying this PQO framework (at a national scale, for individual reach-based projects, at a catchment scale using an ecological strategy) are discussed.The significance of criticisms levelled at Habitat Modification Score and Habitat Quality Assessment depend to an extent on how the scoring systems are applied.