1. RESTORING RIPARIAN VEGETATION –
A PROMISING MEANS TO ENSURE CLEAN WATER
Kamal Melvani,
Neo Synthesis Research Centre, Sri Lanka,
email: neosynth@sltnet.lk

2. SURFACE WATER

3. Riparian zones
can be broadly
defined as the
land that
adjoins or
directly
influences a
body of water
(Price & Lovett 2002)
Paradeke Oya, Gampola

4. Structure and characteristics of riparian lands

5. Riparian ecosystems:
• Shade and lower stream temperatures
• Filter and sorb pollutants
• Provide areas for sediment deposition
• Promote microbial decomposition of organic
matter and nutrients
• Minimize stream bank erosion
• Provide habitat for biodiversity
• Open wildlife corridors
• Enhance infiltration replenishing groundwater
• Increase reservoir life (Chin 2012)

6. Major components of riparian vegetation that affect stream water chemistry
(Dosskey et al. 2010)

7. Soil Organic Matter is a
biomembrane that filters
pollutants,
reduces
sediment load in rivers,
degrades
contaminants,
and is a major sink for
atmospheric CO2 and CH4
(Lal, 2004)

8. Processes through which major components of vegetation
in riparian ecosystems affect stream water chemistry
(Dosskey et al. 2010)

9. • Deep rooted trees in biologically active zones
remove Nitrates in shallow ground water.
Hydraulic residence time critical (Melvani, 2011).
• Nitrate removal minimal when water moves to
regional groundwater and emerges as base
flow(Dosskey et al. 2010).
• For sediment borne P retention, fine sediment
control coupled with use of vegetation, can
increase P uptake into plant tissue (Dosskey et al. 2010)

10. • However, riparian forests have low net dissolved P
retention (Dosskey et al. 2010).
• Non nutrient chemicals absorbed from soil by plant
roots. Heavy metals (e.g., Cd, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb),
metalloids (e.g., As, Se), and other elements (e.g.: B,
Cs, Sr) (Dosskey et al. 2010).
• Riparian buffers could reduce electrical
conductivity (Melvani, 2011).

11. Riparian zone destruction
Illicit felling, dumping ground for garbage and erosion
Lemastota Oya, Haputale

12. Restoration
•
Riparian forest buffer systems (RFBS)
reduce Non Point Source pollution after it leaves
source area but before it reaches the stream
•
important on 1st and 2nd order streams where
intense interaction between terrestrial and
aquatic ecosystems occurs
•
slope of the RFBS main factor limiting the
effectiveness of sediment removal
•
use of native vegetation a key factor (Lowrance & Vellidis 2004).

13. Vegetated riparian zones can
strongly influence the chemical
contents of adjacent
streams, particularly through the
removal of nutrients
in runoff from agricultural uplands

14. Maragala Oya, Maragalakanda, Moneragala
RESTORATION WITH COMMUNITY

15. Riparian forest buffers for gullies in forest
gardens on Maragalakanda, Moneragala
Arumugam’s forest garden

16. Arumugam’s gully restored
Before
After
Jane Nona’s garden

17. Podisingho’s garden with Spathyphyllum patini planted on stream bank

18. Maha Oya, sub catchment
in Great Valley, Deltota

19. Planting in year 1
RESTORATION WITH PRIVATE COMPANY

20. Contour

21. Restoration of the riparian zone of Lake Richmond through Landcare

22. CLEARING GULLY
PLANTED
GULLIES
PLANTING GULLY

24. Gully C - School
Gully D
Gully E
Around the
Lake
Total plants
Ankenda
Hana
Heen Aratta
Maha Aratta
Green Bamboo
Yellow Bamboo
Thel Keena
Cassia
Star apple
Pinna
Thebu
Tree fern
Erabadu
Mora
Kotadimbula
Forest species
Goraka
Wild Ginger
Rathu Kenda
Wild Impatiens
Beeriya
Wild Tobacco
Bukenda
Nika dawula
Sapu
Malaboda
Kududawla
Dawul Kurundu
Forest bamboo
Heen Bowitiya
Pavatta
Karanda
Nelu
Damba
Alubo
Heen Damba
Gadumba
Sawan Idala
Gully C
Aconychia pedunculata
Agave rigida var. sisalana
Alpinia calcarata
Alpinia zerumbet
Dendrocalamus giganteus
Bambusa vulgaris
Calophyllum tomentosum
Cassia spectabilis
Chryssophyllum cainito
Clerodendrum chinense
Costus specious
Cyathea sp.
Erythrina lithosperma
Euphoria longana
Ficus hispida
Forest species
Garcinia quaesita
Hedychium coronarium
Homolanthus populifolius
Impatiens sp.
Litsea ovalifolia
Lobelia nicotianifolia
Macaranga indica
Meliosma pinnata
Michelia champaca
Myristica dactyloides
Neolistea fuscata
Neolitsea cassia
Ochlandra stridula
Osbeckia lanata
Pavatta indica
Pongamia pinnata
Strobilanthes sp.
Syzygium assimile
Syzygium sp.
Syzygium umbrosum
Trema orientale
Wendlandia bicuspidata
Total Plants Established
Gully B - Lake
Down area
Common Name
Gully b - Upper
Lake area
Scientific Name
Gully a1
Upper Lake area
o Planting in micro watershed
4,724 trees and plants in 39+ native
and indigenous species were planted in
the micro watershed of Lake Richmond.
10
8
8
4
67
76
30
25
15
97
23
103
41
10
33
75
1
6
16
7
2
5
28
40
72
62
37
33
11
12
2
7
324
8
218
308
6
3
210
1
2
13
19
1
3
0
22
444
10
510
347
2
126
18
134
3
90
161
172
216
15
40
6
53
667
93
3
19
1
6
4274
1
13
2
1
1
12
1
20
84
1
2
2
2
4
1
3
34
1
84
44
12
1
2
7
87
85
1
1
30
10
6
29
21
15
3
9
83
1
2
3
5
2
1
1
1
1
6
3
89
14
13
5
15
10
4
13
40
61
4
1
1
59
21
90
3
1
3
1
1
365
581
1
290
31
4
67
13
2
11
8
20
38
1
42
16
60
15
27
25
30
4
13
8
17
4
26
7
12
4
4
8
27
44
63
78
53
3
29
60
4
26
51
33
1
6
2
430
1193
70
62
11
58
3
97
31
121
1
170
83
6
19
2
1
150
13
1
7
1
2
690
11
63
14
1
344
11
105
5
1
381

26. Ground Water

27. Bioremediation
Kalmunai
Kalpitiya

28. 2003
Dense planting round
the well with deep
rooted, native trees
forming a ‘root mat ’
below the surface to
uptake
the
contaminants.

29. 0
Feb ' 4
April '04
June '4
August '04
Sept '4
October' 04
Nov '4
December' 04
Jan' 5
February'5
March'5
April'5
May'5
June'5
July'5
August'5
Sept'5
Oct'5
Nove'5
Dec'5
Jan'6
Feb'6
March'6
April'6
May'6
June'6
July'6
Aug'6
Sept'6
Oct'6
Nov'6
Dec'6
Jan'7
Feb'7
March'7
April'7
May'7
June'7
July'7
Aug'7
Sept'7
Oct'7
Nov'7
Dece'7
Jan'8
Fed'8
March'8
April'8
May'8
June'8
July ' 8
August'8
Sept'8
Oct'8
Nov'8
Dece'8
Jan'9
Concentration of N-N03 in mg/l
Concentration of N-No3 over time
80
70
60
50
Lower Well
40
30
20
Upper Well
10
Concentration of Nitrate Nitrogen over time

30. Electrical Conductivity at 250C over time

31. References
Chin, DA 2012, Water-Quality Engineering in Natural Systems : Fate and Transport
Processes in the Water Environment, 2 edn, Wiley, New York.
Dosskey, MG, Vidon, P, Gurwick, NP, Allan, CJ, Duval, TP & Lowrance, R 2010, 'The Role
of Riparian Vegetation in Protecting and Improving Chemical Water Quality in
Streams1', JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, vol. 46, no. 2,
pp. 261-77.
Lal, R 2004, 'Soil Carbon Sequestration Impacts on Global Climate Change and Food
Security', Science, vol. 304 no. 5677 pp. 1623-7.
, R & Vellidis, G 2004, 'Riparian forest buffers: hype? Or the silver bullet for NPS
pollution control?', Resource: Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World, vol.
11, no. 10, p. 7+.
Melvani, K 2011, 'Bioremediation of Nitrates in Ground Water', M.Sc. thesis,
University of Peradeniya
Price, P. and Lovett, S. 2002, ‘Managing riparian land’, Fact Sheet 1, Land & Water
Australia, Canberra

32. Thank you!