Guest Edited Collection: “Ecohydraulics” in river and coastal restoration

Ecohydraulics sits at the dynamic intersection of fluid mechanics and ecological function. As the impacts of climate change, urbanization, and industrial expansion intensify, this emerging discipline offers powerful tools for restoring and managing rivers, lakes, and coastal zones through nature-based, science-driven solutions. By integrating hydrodynamic principles with ecological objectives, ecohydraulics enables the design and assessment of interventions that not only rehabilitate degraded systems but also enhance long-term environmental resilience and sustainability. This Scientific Reports Collection highlights recent advances across experimental, modeling, and artificial-intelligence (AI)-driven approaches—from turbulence-based habitat design to coastal wave attenuation and fish-migration modeling—demonstrating how ecohydraulics connects scientific innovation with practical restoration and sustainable water management.

Current applications and emerging frontiers in ecohydraulics

Ecohydraulics has evolved into a critical interdisciplinary field that integrates hydrodynamic, geomorphic, and ecological modeling to address challenges in aquatic ecosystem restoration, flood protection, and biodiversity conservation. Contemporary applications range from pollutant-transport modeling and fish-passage design to the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS). Recent advances in high-resolution numerical modeling, artificial intelligence, environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis, and real-time monitoring are reshaping the discipline, enabling more accurate forecasting in the face of rapid environmental change. Key research frontiers include flow–vegetation interactions, nutrient cycling, habitat connectivity, coastal resilience, and ecosystem-scale monitoring—each essential for informing future strategies in sustainable water management and ecological restoration.

Collection overview

This Scientific Reports Collection on ecohydraulics was launched in response to the field’s increasing relevance in tackling global challenges such as biodiversity loss, habitat degradation, and climate change. The studies featured in this collection exemplify how hydraulic modeling, ecological assessment, and engineering design intersect to support healthy and resilient aquatic ecosystems. Spanning both riverine and coastal contexts, the eight original contributions employ a range of experimental, numerical, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven methods.

Collectively, these contributions showcase a wide spectrum of methodological innovation, from laboratory flume experiments and field-based monitoring to advanced numerical simulations, individual-based modeling, and AI-assisted techniques. They cover critical themes such as the role of instream habitat structures (e.g., boulders) in shaping turbulent flow and habitat complexity to inform river restoration projets¹; nature-based solutions for stabilizing riverbanks affected by sediment mining²; AI-assisted analysis of fish group behavior in response to flow conditions to enhance fishway performance³; the role of vegetation in dissipating wave energy for coastal resilience⁴; modeling of flood risk mitigation benefits from coastal habitats through ecosystem service integration⁵; and habitat suitability frameworks for predicting fish movement and informing restoration planning^6,7,8.

Together, these diverse yet interconnected studies demonstrate the potential of ecohydraulics to bridge hydraulic functionality with ecological outcomes, offering practical frameworks that align with global ecosystem restoration initiatives such as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration⁹.

Concluding remarks

Ecohydraulics plays a transformative role in bridging scientific understanding and practical applications for river and coastal restoration. From microscale turbulence dynamics to landscape-scale ecosystem modeling, and from biologically informed design to AI-driven prediction tools, the breadth of research in this field underscores its rich interdisciplinary character and growing practical relevance.

Looking forward, key directions for future research include bridging microscale hydraulics with macroscale ecological responses, developing more robust and transferable models, and exploring synergies between AI and process-based approaches. Equally important is the need to evaluate the long-term performance of nature-based solutions under scenarios of climate variability, sea-level rise, and anthropogenic pressures. Ensuring that these solutions are not only technically sound but also equitable and context-sensitive will require inclusive stakeholder engagement and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

Importantly, aligning restoration science with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration will be critical in scaling impact globally. Ecohydraulics provides a scientific foundation for sustainable water and habitat management and offers practical tools for balancing human development with ecological stewardship.

We hope this Collection inspires continued research, innovation, and partnerships that advance the science and application of ecohydraulics in shaping a more resilient and sustainable future.