This thought-provoking book deals with the scientific, management and societal challenges involved in restoring and rehabilitating riverine and associated habitats that have been degraded by river engineering and other human activities in catchments. It targets science students in river-related environmental sciences, river managers and consultants, resource managers and environmentalists.

The authors deal with difficult subject matter well, in a clearly presented and argued way that should be very accessible to the wide readership intended. The practice of river restoration and rehabilitation is at a critical point in its development, which has been eloquently captured. A strong case is made for fundamental change in the way scientists and managers approach the planning and implementation of practical measures, and sound guidance is given on how that change can be brought about.

Importantly, the authors have shown deep insight into the many barriers to sound and successful river restoration and rehabilitation, and have formulated their approach to address these barriers directly. The integrated evaluation of scientific, management and societal issues is vital if we are to move river restoration from its current small-scale, opportunistic, interventionist and structure-based perspective to a philosophy based on catchment-scale restoration of natural riverine processes achieved over long timescales. As an ecologist working in a statutory agency and heavily involved in developing and implementing strategic restoration plans for rivers with special designations for wildlife, I found the analyses of institutional barriers to change to be very accurate. Many of the solutions advocated strike a chord with my own conclusions and ways of working.

I do have a couple of reservations over the key messages of the book, listed in the preface. The first is the way in which the authors seek to balance environmental and societal objectives from the outset of the planning process. A challenging ecologically-based vision, which asks searching valid questions of the way in which society uses and values rivers and riparian land, is more likely to generate innovative thinking, changed attitudes to river management and ultimately a better deal for riverine wildlife. A willingness to modify that vision based on valid societal constraints provides the means by which a balance can be struck that takes river restoration as far as it can go. The second reservation concerns the message that we must have a future focus for river ‘rehabilitation’, not a focus on past conditions (i.e. restoration to some former state). After reading the book I am not convinced this captures the essence of what the authors are saying. The two messages on this issue that I distilled from the book are that: (1) it is necessary to understand the evolution of the river channel to understand how to fix it (i.e. it is important to look back to look forward); and (2) that we should adopt the ‘art of the possible’ in seeking to restore as much geomorphological and ecological functionality as we can, working within those societal constraints that cannot be removed.

Presentationally, the book is attractive, well printed and with clear and well-thought out schematics that aid understanding of the concepts being advocated. The text is carefully considered, with very few typographical errors, and is well-referenced with both classic and up-to-date references.

The many terms used are clearly (if not always conventionally) defined. Although the book is described in the preface as using minimal jargon, some of the language is unnecessarily obscure. For instance, in the twelve commitments on action and behaviour listed in Chapter 3, the first commitment is to the use of clear language, whilst the eighth and tenth commitments urge readers to be ‘myrioramic’ and ‘contumaceous’ (although to be fair these terms are subsequently explained).

I would strongly recommend all those with an interest in river restoration to read this book from cover to cover I am particularly pleased that the authors place final-year undergraduate and post-graduate scientists across a range of disciplines at the top of their list of intended readers. The barriers to inter-disciplinary working, both within scientific specialisms and between these specialisms and the management and stakeholder communities, are severe. Whilst we can strive to change the mindsets of the current generation involved in river management, we must at all costs make sure that the next generation starts its journey with a truly integrated perspective from the outset.