Public perception of river-corridor management

Research into the public's perception of water and river-corridor quality has been undertaken to assess the importance of these aspects to the public's selection of sites for use in recreation. Preliminary results from two on-site questionnaire surveys involving a number of river user groups suggested that: (i) Whilst there was a strong association between perceived water quality and the presence/absence of individual water-quality variables, the presence of indicators of 'good' water quality were less likely to influence perceived water quality than the presence of indicators of 'bad' water quality; (ii) There was an overwhelming desire for trees and a strong preference for vegetational diversity within the public's perceived ideal river corridor setting; and (iii) An equally strong preference for mature, sinuous rivers with natural channels and banks. These results suggest that there is a close relationship between the type of riverscape preferred by the public in their use of rivers for recreation and amenity, and that desired by conservationists.