| Summary: | The importance of protecting and conserving sustained aquatic habitats has never been more important as more and more habitats are lost due to a host of imposing threats. Mitigation of impacts from major threats and habitat conservation will ensure future reserves that may be required to further restore diminished habitats and ensure a surviving population of aquatic species. Globally natural resources have been threatened by human activities, changing ecosystems and climate change. As researchers observe decades of environmental monitoring and expand on extensive amounts of research, it becomes evident that the threats to our environment are extraordinarily complex. For the purpose of this thesis, focus is placed on one of the most vulnerable habitats today, the aquatic habitat. Many scientists agree that aquatic habitats play a larger role in determining the health and quality of inland waters and ecosystems than their more recognized role in producing a human resource. (Abell, 2009; Graham and Harrod, 2009; Winfield, 2009) Specifically, the global population of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) has remained a desired resource for decades. Only in the last few decades has the severity of population decline become a topic of considerable research as well as the focus of large conservation efforts by private and governmental organizations around the globe. This thesis discusses the primary threats that aquatic habitats face and how they may respond to a variable environment. Subsequently riparian zone management are examined for its role in ecological functions and the possibility for mitigating pollutant transport for an overall improved habitat. Thereafter, the South Esk catchment area is introduced as a primary site for conservation of aquatic habitats, including the Atlantic salmon. It has been awarded a host of local and regional designations, which ensure its role in the development of improved conservation and management techniques. The catchment has been the site of many years of research regarding aquatic ...
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