Active River Area for the Northern Appalachian-Acadian Region

Conserving and restoring healthy stream and river ecosystems requires an integrated approach that not only focuses on the streams and rivers themselves, but also incorporates adjacent floodplains and riparian areas and the dynamic processes that directly link the two. Examples of these natural processes include hydrologic flow regime, sediment transport, turnover of organic matter, habitat connectivity, and maintaining water quality, among others. While the type and degree of influence that these processes have on streams and rivers varies in both time and space, by spatially delineating the full range of landscape features that contribute to these processes, the ARA provides a framework for conserving and restoring the ecological integrity of freshwater ecosystems.

The Active River Area within this dataset is comprised of 5 main components: Floodplains zone (floodplain, meander belts, and terraces), Riparian Wetlands, Material Contribution Areas on Steep slopes, and a 60m safety buffer. The Active River Area framework has numerous applications, not least of which involves identifying priority areas to conserve and restore riparian and freshwater systems. By understanding what land use practices occur within the Active River Area, project managers and decision-makers can better recognize opportunities for both conserving large and intact floodplain and riparian habitats, as well as areas where these natural systems have been altered by past land use.