Riparian Habitat Quality Index Field Data Sheet
Riparian habitat quality
 |
| Station | |
| Observant | |
| Data |
Score of each part cannot be negative or exceed 25.
| Total riparian cover | ||
|---|---|---|
| Score |
Total Score |
|
| 25 | > 80% riparian cover (excluding annual plants) |
|
| 10 | 50-80% riparian cover | |
| 5 | ||
| 0 | <10% riparian cover | |
| +10 | + 10 If connectivity between the riparian forest and the woodland is total | |
| +5 | If the connectivity is over 50% | |
| -5 | Connectivity between 25 and 50% | |
| -10 | Connectivity under 25% | |
| Cover structure | ||
|---|---|---|
| Score | Total Score | |
| 25 | >75% tree cover |
|
| 10 | 50-75% tree cover or 25 50% tree cover but 25% covered by shrubs | |
| 5 | Tree cover under 50% but shrub cover at least between 10 and 25% | |
| 0 |
Under 10% either tree or shrub cover |
|
| + 10 | If at least 50% of the channel has he!ophytes or shrubs | |
| + 5 | If 25-50% of the channel has helophytes or shrubs | |
| + 5 | If trees and shrubs are in the same patches | |
| - 5 | If trees are regularly distributed but shrubland is >50% | |
| -5 | If trees and shrubs are distributed in separate patches, without continuity | |
| -10 | Trees distributed regularly, and shrubland <50% | |
| Cover quality (the geomorphological type should first be determined*) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Score | Type1 | Type2 | Type3 | Total Score | |
| 25 | Number of native tree species | >1 | >2 | >3 | |
| 10 | Number of native tree species | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|
| 5 | Number of native tree species | - | 1 | 1-2 | |
| 0 | Absence of native trees | ||||
| + 10 | If the tree community is continuous at least 3 m wide along the river and covers at least 75% of the riparian area | ||||
| + 5 | The tree community is nearly continuous and covers at least 50% of the riparian area | ||||
| + 5 | If the riparian community has a gallery-type structure | ||||
| + 5 | Number of shrub species: | >2 | >3 | >4 | |
| - 5 | If there are some man-made buildings in the riparian area | ||||
| -5 | If there are some isolated non-native trees** | ||||
| - 10 | Presence of communities of non-native trees** | ||||
| - 10 | Presence of refuse | ||||
* See
** Allochthonous trees in the study area (these should be listed for each study area)
| Channel alteration | ||
|---|---|---|
| Score | Total Score | |
| 25 | Unmodified river channel | |
| 10 | Fluvial terraces modified constraining the river channel | |
| 5 | Channel modified by discontinuous rigid structures along the banks | |
| 0 | Transverse structures within the channel (e g weirs) | |
| - 10 | River bed with rigid structures (e g walls) | |
| - 10 | If there is a weir or some other transversal infrastructure across the river bed. | |
Source: Diputació de Barcelona 2000 (Copyright)
Developed by the Department of Ecology, University of Barcelona, with the collaboration of the Department of Environment of the Barcelona Council