Assessments of the ecological quality of riparian zones help ascertain the status of channel-floodplain linkages, which are often affected by anthropogenic interventions, resulting in stream health degradation. Here we have evaluated the riparian condition of 54 sites along the River Dulung in eastern India using various ecological and aesthetics related indices for demarcating degraded channel reaches. Among the ecological parameters, the Qualitat del Bosc de Ribera (QBR) Index considers key aspects of vegetation, such as coverage and structure, as well as morphological aspects and anthropogenic interference in the landscape. The Riparian Strip Quality Index (RSQI) evaluates the ecological condition of riparian habitats based on the percentage of riparian vegetation, as was delineated from high resolution satellite images. The vegetation robustness was assessed using the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The RSQI and NDVI parameters were extracted for a series of concentric buffers of varying widths on either side of the channel to differentiate between the vegetation cover on either bank and their changes with increasing distance from the channel. Since effective ecological restoration requires active public involvement, a perception survey was conducted for exploring links between the ecological quality and aesthetic appeal of the studied sites. Results suggest that majority of the sites have fair ecological quality, with a median QBR value of 60. The riparian strip quality is lower, with an average RSQI score of 55. This discrepancy may result from the qualitative (QBR) versus quantitative (RSQI) nature of the two indices employed. Nevertheless, both indices indicate that all sites are disturbed to some degree, mainly due to anthropogenic activities like ambient agriculture and natural processes like recurrent monsoonal floods and riverbank erosion. Results of the perception survey indicate that sites with higher ecological quality garner more public appeal, with attributes like the state of the surrounding vegetation and any visible human modifications of the riparian zone being important determinants of how the sites are perceived. Obviously, the most preferred stretches are those with lush green vegetation, continuous water flow with visibly low human impacts. The ecological and aesthetic indices have been combined to identify the most degraded reaches along the river, which account for 52% of the total sites. These sites merit attention both in short and long-term for restoration purposes. Although the degradation overall (arising from natural and anthropogenic causes) is not too high at present, we suggest that regular monitoring of the ecological quality of these sites be undertaken in order to preserve both the ecological and aesthetic aspects of the existing riparian vegetation and arrest any further deterioration.

对河岸带生态质量的评估有助于确定河道与泛滥平原之间的联系，这些联系经常受到人为干预的影响，导致河流健康恶化。在这里，我们使用各种与生态和美学相关的指标来划分退化的河道，评估了印度东部Dulung河沿岸54个站点的河岸条件。在生态参数中，Qualitat del Bosc de Ribera（QBR）指数考虑了植被的关键方面，例如覆盖率和结构，以及地形方面的形态和人为干扰。河岸带质量指数（RSQI）根据河岸植被的百分比评估河岸生境的生态状况，如高分辨率卫星图像所描绘的。使用归一化植被指数（NDVI）评估植被的健壮性。提取RSQI和NDVI参数，用于在通道的任一侧上一系列宽度不同的同心缓冲区，以区分任一岸上的植被覆盖度以及它们与通道之间距离的增加而变化。由于有效的生态恢复需要公众的积极参与，因此进行了感知调查，以探索研究地点的生态质量与审美吸引力之间的联系。结果表明，大多数站点具有良好的生态质量，平均QBR值为60。河岸带质量较低，平均RSQI得分为55。这种差异可能是由于定性（QBR）与定量（RSQI）使用的两个指数的性质。不过，这两个指数都表明，所有地点都受到了一定程度的干扰，这主要是由于人为活动（如周围农业）和自然过程（如反复的季风洪水和河岸侵蚀）造成的。感知调查的结果表明，生态质量较高的地点吸引了更多公众的关注，其周围植被的状态以及河岸带的任何可见人类变化等属性都是如何感知地点的重要决定因素。显然，最优选的伸展带是茂密的绿色植被，连续的水流以及对人类的影响很小的伸展带。结合生态和美学指标来确定沿河退化最严重的河段，占河床总面积的52％。这些场所无论出于短期还是长期目的都值得关注。尽管目前总体退化程度（由自然和人为原因引起）还不太高，但我们建议对这些站点的生态质量进行定期监测，以保护现有河岸植被的生态和美学方面，并保留它们。任何进一步的恶化。