Developing the evidence-base for river ecosystem restoration

As an ecological consultant I embed research questions in consultancy, and in citizen science-based projects. For instance, I am funded by multiple conservation bodies to develop the evidence-base for river ecosystem restoration. Our aim is to build a database of ecological responses to a range of restoration techniques. This will direct resources toward effective solutions and help to refine and coordinate work by river restoration practitioners and volunteers participating in conservation initiatives.

River Bure BACI monitoring sites clockwise from top left: control, pre-restoration, post restoration, naturally created 'target' which restoration aimed to mimic. This design was replicated across four other chalk streams in a multipl… — River Bure BACI monitoring sites clockwise from top left: control, pre-restoration, post restoration, naturally created 'target' which restoration aimed to mimic. This design was replicated across four other chalk streams in a multiple BACI design which enabled us to test for consistent effects following woody debris rewilding (currently in preparation).

My research focusses on the assessment of habitat restoration, pollution, and temperature impacts on freshwater ecosystems. Designing and employing effective monitoring strategies - such as before-after-control-impact (BACI) assessment, with measures across multiple levels of organisation (i.e. from genes to ecosystems) - is at the core of this research. Critically, this approach has enabled me to detect causal mechanisms which underpin the degradation and recovery of complex food webs. It further allows me to link changes across ecosystems which cannot be explained by studying indicator taxa in isolation.

Monitoring restoration: a volunteer-based approach

Volunteers working in conservation schemes are often involved in restoration projects. Yet, due to a lack of standardised monitoring, there is little supporting evidence that biodiversity or ecosystems recover as a result. There is also no suitable citizen science monitoring scheme available for volunteers to assess the ecological impact of their river restorations. Consequently, restoration designs are rarely evidence-based, and their impacts are not evidence-assessed. That’s not to say they are not effective, but rather we have very little evidence to support and help refine future restoration efforts.

With this in mind I have been working with the Riverfly Partnership (riverflies.org), among others, to develop a standardised approach so that volunteers can assess both changes in water quality and the ecological outcomes of river habitat restoration and compare their results with other restorations. We are piloting this approach across the country and are keen to survey as many sites as possible so please get in touch to find out more. As data from multiple projects are combined our understanding of the effectiveness of each scheme and river restoration in general will increase. Our ultimate goal is to inform the design process so that the energy invested in restorations is directed towards the most effective solutions.

NATURAL LARGE WOOD ACCUMULATION, RIVER BURE, UK

WOODY DEBRIS 'REWILDING' ON THE RIVER BURE, UK. TREES WERE FELLED TO MIMIC NATURAL TREE-FALL.

MACROINVERTEBRATE SAMPLING ON THE RIVER MUN, UK

LARVAE OF NEMOURA AVICULARIS (LEFT) AND EPHEMERA VULGATA (RIGHT) COLLECTED WHILE SAMPLING THE LITTLE OUSE RESTORATION FOR THE BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY.

LARGE WOODY DEBRIS 'REWILDING': HOW TREES WERE FELLED TO MIMIC NATURAL TREE-FALL

RIVER NAR RESTORATION BY THE NORFOLK RIVERS TRUST AT CASTLE ACRE. WOODY DEBRIS WAS SECURED IN PLACE USING UNTREATED CHESTNUT STAKES.

RIVER STIFFKEY WOODY DEBRIS AND FLOODPLAIN RESTORATION WITH NORFOLK RIVERS TRUST

LARGE WOODY DEBRIS 'REWILDING': HOW TREES WERE FELLED TO MIMIC NATURAL TREE-FALL

Professional profile

•   Ecological consultant (2014-present): lead author of funding applications for, and principle investigator on, multiple restoration projects across the UK. Clients include ENSIS Ltd, UCL, National Trust, British Trust for Ornithology, Natural England, Surrey Wildlife Trust and Norfolk Rivers Trust.
•   Research Technician on the NERC urgency grant (2013-2015) “Quantifying ecosystem resilience: catastrophic collapse and recovery of a large river food web” Imperial College London
•   Visiting lecturer on Environmental Science MSc and BSc courses at University College London, Imperial College London, Roehampton University and University of East Anglia (2012-present)

Selected press

•   Thompson, M.S.A., (2016) Developing the evidence base for restoration, from the grass-roots up. River Glaven Conservation Group Newsletter
•   Thompson, M.S.A., Gray, C., Lehman, K., Woodward, G., (2014) Citizen Scientists – The Next Generation of Environmental Sentinels. British Ecological Society Bulletin
•   Thompson, M.S.A (2014) Catastrophic collapse of the River Kennet food web. ARK Newsletter 30
•   Gray, C., Thompson, M.S.A., Woodward, G., Hitchmough, C., (2014) Citizen Scientists: guarding our rivers. Freshwater Biology Association Newsletter
•   Thompson, M.S.A (2012) Searching for Clarity: does habitat enhancement work? Salmo Trutta
•   Mabey, R. (2011) A Brush with Nature. BBC Wildlife Magazine
•   Thompson, M.S.A (2011) The effect of large woody debris on stream food webs and community structure. Freshwater Biology Association Newsletter
•   Thompson, M.S.A (2011) Re-wilding British Rivers. River Restoration Centre Newsletter
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/11573850/M.Thompson_press.zip

Selected conference presentations

•   Rivers Trust conference (2016): Developing a database of ecosystem restoration practices
•   River Restoration Centre (2016): Developing a database of ecosystem restoration practices
•   Society of Ecological Restoration annual conference (2015): Predicting the success of ecological restoration in rivers
•   River Restoration Centre annual conference (2015): Restoration, conservation and resilience in lowland rivers
•   British Ecological Society Aquatic Group meeting (2014): Restoration, conservation and resilience in lowland rivers
•   Ecological Society of America annual meeting (2013): The effect of large woody debris on stream community structure across and enrichment gradient
•   Food Web Symposium – Science with Impact (2013): Environmental Stressors in Aquatic Systems: Impacts Resilience and Recovery
•   Chalk Stream Conference (2013): River restoration - what’s the evidence?
•   River Restoration Centre annual meeting (2013): River restoration - what’s the evidence?
•   British Ecological Society annual meeting (2012): The effect of large woody debris on stream community structure and ecosystem functioning
•   European Conference of Ecological Restoration annual meeting (2012): How can we link habitat restoration with changes in ecology?
•   London Freshwater Group meeting (2011): Engineering ecosystems - what can we take from river restoration

Selected publications

•   The QUINTESSENCE Consortium (2016) Networking Our Way to Better Ecosystem Service Provision. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 31, 105–115.
•   Huddart, J., Thompson, M. S. A., Woodward, G., & Brooks, S. J., (2016) Citizen science: from detecting pollution to ecological restoration. WIREs water, doi: 10.1002/wat2.1138
•   Thompson, M. S. A., Bankier, C, Bell, T, Dumbrell, A. J., Gray, C., Ledger, M. E., Lehmann, K., McKew, B. A., Sayer, C. D., Shelley, F., Trimmer, M., Warren, S. L. & Woodward, G. (2015) Gene-to-ecosystem impacts of a catastrophic pesticide spill: testing a multilevel bioassessment approach in a river. Freshwater Biology, doi:10.1111/fwb.12676
•   Thompson, M. S. A., Brooks, S. J., Sayer, C. D., Woodward, G., Axmacher, J. C., Simpson, G., Perkins, D., & Gray, C., (in prep) Effects of woody debris rewilding on river food webs: a multiple before-after-control-impact field study
•   Gray, C, Donald J. Baird3, Baumgartner, S., Jacob, U., Jenkins, G.B., O’Gorman, E.J., Xueke, L., Ma, A., Pocock, M.J.O., Schuwirth, N., Thompson, M.S.A. & Woodward, G. (2014) Ecological networks: the missing links in biomonitoring science. Journal of Applied Ecology 51, 1444–1449.
•   Hudson, L. N., Emerson, R., Jenkins, G. B., Layer, K., Ledger, M. E., Pichler, D. E., Thompson, M. S. A., O'Gorman, E. J., Woodward, G. & Reuman, D. C. (2013) Cheddar: analysis and visualisation of ecological communities in R. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 4, 99-104.
•   O’Gorman, E.J., Pichler, D.E., Adams, G., Benstead, J.P., Cohen, H., Craig, N., Cross, W.F., Demars, B.O.L., Friberg, N., Gíslason, G.M., Gudmundsdóttir, R., Hawczak, A., Thompson, M. S. A., et al. (2012) Impacts of warming on the structure and function of aquatic communities: individual-to ecosystem-level responses. Advances in Ecological Research 47, 81-176.
•   Woodward, G., Benstead, J.P., Beveridge, O.S., Blanchard, J., Brey, T., Brown, L., Cross, W.F., Friberg, N., Ings, T.C., Jacob, U., Jennings, S., Ledger, M.E., Thompson, M. S. A., et al. (2010b). Ecological networks in a changing climate. Advances in Ecological Research 42, 72–138.

Selected journal cover designs

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