Resilient Rivers: Integrating Nature-Based Solutions with Hydraulic Engineering

Dear Colleagues,

Rivers are dynamic ecosystems that provide essential services to both nature and society. However, increasing pressures from climate change, urbanization, and anthropogenic modifications have intensified challenges such as flooding, erosion, sedimentation, and biodiversity loss. To enhance river resilience, the integration of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) with Hydraulic Engineering has gained global attention as an effective approach to achieving sustainable river management, eco-hydraulic restoration, and climate adaptation.

This Special Issue aims to bring together cutting-edge research, modeling approaches, and field-based applications that explore how NbS can be effectively incorporated into hydraulic engineering to mitigate hydrological risks, restore ecological functions, and promote sustainable river management. We particularly encourage studies that focus on tailored NbS strategies for different river types, including mountainous streams, lowland rivers, and urban waterways.

Focus Areas

• Bridging the gap between traditional hydraulic engineering and eco-friendly river restoration strategies;
• The intersection of fluvial hydraulics and geomorphology in both natural and managed river systems;
• Encouraging passive and active rewilding of river systems by allowing natural geomorphic and ecological processes to shape restoration outcomes;
• Engineering strategies that enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services in riverine environments;
• The impact of climate change on sediment transport, flow regimes, and river restoration.

Topics of Interest

• Nature-Based Solutions for River Resilience
• Eco-hydraulic design and restoration strategies;
• Green infrastructure, wetlands, and floodplain reconnection;
• Riverbank stabilization using bioengineering and vegetative techniques;
• Impact of large wood and engineered log jams, adaptive sediment management, sediment connectivity in restored rivers, and sediment augmentation;
• Biogeomorphic feedbacks, ecohydraulic design, and impact of vegetation on flow resistance.
• Advancements in Hydraulic Engineering
• Sustainable flood control and river training measures;
• Sediment transport, erosion control, and channel morphology;
• Hydrodynamic modeling of NBS-integrated river systems;
• Floodplain reconnection, engineered vs. natural flood management, design of hybrid infrastructure, and urban river restoration.
• Climate Adaptation and Risk Mitigation
• Droughts and extreme floods, sediment-starved rivers, long-term geomorphic adjustments, climate-resilient river engineering;
• Enhancing river resilience to extreme hydrological events;
• Ecosystem-based flood risk management and water retention strategies;
• Water quality improvement through nature-based interventions.
• Policy, Governance, and Socioeconomic Aspects
• Implementation challenges, cost–benefit analysis, and best practices;
• Ecosystem services valuation in river engineering projects;
• Policy frameworks and governance for sustainable water management.

This Special Issue provides an opportunity to present cutting-edge research on innovative NbS-hydraulic engineering solutions for sustainable river restoration and resilience. We look forward to your contributions!

Prof. Dr. Su-Chin Chen
Dr. Kao-Hua Chang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• Nature-based Solutions (NbS)
• hydraulic engineering
• eco-hydraulics
• river resilience
• flood mitigation
• sediment transport
• erosion control
• green infrastructure
• river restoration
• hydrodynamic modeling
• climate adaptation
• water quality
• ecosystem services
• sustainable river management
• river rewilding