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“HKH screening”: a field bio-assessment to evaluate the ecological status of streams in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region

  • RIVERS IN THE HINDU KUSH-HIMALAYA
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Abstract

A macro-invertebrate-based field screening method for assessing the ecological status of rivers in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region is presented herein. The method was developed within an EU-funded project called “Development of an Assessment System to Evaluate the Ecological Status of Rivers in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region (ASSESS-HKH)”. The data originate from five countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. The main instrumental method used was a screening protocol based on the Austrian method for screening the ecological quality of rivers and streams. The conception of the method, its adoption to the conditions in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan Region, and the application of the protocol are described comprehensively. The assessment procedure was based on sensory criteria and biota that can be identified in the field, with a special focus on benthic macro-invertebrates. The basic principles of benthic bio-indicators’ assortment are described. The determination of individual bio-indicative values is demonstrated for selected examples. An NMS analysis was performed to describe the intra- and inter-similarities of benthic invertebrate assemblages in streams of different eco-regions. As a result, two different HKH screening protocols are provided: one for rivers in mountainous regions and one for lowland rivers. The performance of the screening method in the region and its validation as a rapid, cost-effective, and scientifically based tool for river quality assessment is discussed.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the European Commission for the financial support of the ASSESS-HKH project (contract number: INCO-CT-2005_003659). In addition, we thank all institutions from the partner countries for their contributions to the development of the HKH Field Screening Method, namely the National Environment Commission Secretariat (NECS) in Thimphu, Bhutan, the Department of Water Resources Engineering and the Department of Civil Engineering at the Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology (BUET) in Dhaka, Bangladesh, the Alternate Hydro Energy Centre (AHEC) of the Indian Institute of Technology (IITRoorkee) in Roorkee, India, the Aquatic Ecology Centre (AEC) at the Kathmandu University (KU) in Dhulikhel, Nepal, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in Kathmandu, Nepal, the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) in Islamabad, Pakistan, the Department of Zoology and Ecology at the Masaryk University (MU) in Brno, Czech Republic, and the Centre for Microscale Ecosystem and Research Group Applied Zoology/Hydrobiology, University of Duisburg-Essen in Duisburg-Essen, Germany. We also acknowledge the help of the staff of the Working Group on Benthic Ecology and Ecological Status Assessment, namely: Dr. Wolfram Graf, DI Thomas Huber, Dr. Berthold Janecek and DI Dr. Thomas Ofenböck.

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  1. Department of Water, Atmosphere, Environment, Institute of Hydrobiology and Aquatic Ecosystem Management, BOKU—University of Natural Resources & Applied Life Sciences, Vienna, Max Emanuel Straße 17, 1180, Vienna, Austria

    Anne Hartmann, Otto Moog & Ilse Stubauer

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  1. Anne Hartmann
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  2. Otto Moog
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Correspondence to Ilse Stubauer.

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Guest editors: D. Hering, S. Sharma & O. Moog / Rivers in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya – Ecology and Environmental Assessment

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Hartmann, A., Moog, O. & Stubauer, I. “HKH screening”: a field bio-assessment to evaluate the ecological status of streams in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. Hydrobiologia 651, 25–37 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-010-0288-6

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