to equip the participants with the skills and knowledge necessary in conservation and management of stream and river ecosystems for the benefit of humankind.

At the end of the module participants should be able to

• Distinguish the main stream ecosystem boundaries at watershed, ecosystem and stream segment scales

• Characterize the bio geophysical components of watersheds

• Relate and conceptualize the inter connectedness between riverine and other ecosystems

•  Analyze, identify and discriminate the various riparian vegetation in terms of their importance as sources of energy to streams

• Assess water quality using physical and biological characteristics of the stream

• Evaluate the importance of socio-economics in sustainable management of watersheds (riverine ecosystems)

•  Design suitable sampling strategies for stream benthos (i.e. organic matter, biofilms and nutrients)

SUBJECTS

1.                   Watershed ecology and management

2.                    Stream geomorphology, hydrology, and sedimentology

3.                    River/stream riparian vegetation interactions/connectivity

4.                    Stream characteristics

5.                    Organic matter inputs and processes

6.                    Benthic macroinvertebrate and their role as bio-indicators

7.                    Socio-economics of riverine ecosystem

8.                    Sampling designs and data analyses

SYLLABUS

Watershed ecology and management: Concepts of the watershed ecology and management. Watershed characteristics and geomorphology (climate, slopes, geology, geological structures, soils, geomorphology and land-use)

Stream characterization: Structure and function of streams, basic concepts (river continuum, disturbance/stability, habitat template, connectivity, matter & energy flow and decomposition processes, drift, biozoenotic zonation, substrate characterization. Hydrological exchange processes in the hyporheic zone, floodplain ecology, ecological integrity

Stream hydrology: Hydrologic flow paths and hydrodynamic exchange processes; aquatic-terrestrial connectivity; water current measurements; discharge calculations

River/stream riparian vegetation interactions/connectivity: Vegetation types and distribution. Species composition, social biology, mapping, sampling and identification techniques

Organic matter, biofilm and nutrient  dynamics in streams and rivers: Sampling techniques, sample processing and data analysis on organic matter, biofilm and nutrient, POM & DOM  (taxonomy, abundance and ecology), food-webs in streams and rivers

Stream macroinvertebrate communities: Benthic invertebrates, taxonomic groups, bio-indicators, the role of macroinvertebrates in water quality monitoring