Stream habitat assessment of Dong River, China, using River Habitat Survey method

River habitat is an important component of river ecosystem and also the foundation of existence and development riverine organisms. Recently, the survey and assessment of river habitat plays an increasingly important role in watershed ecological planning, river environmental impact assessment and river ecological restoration. In order to introduce River Habitat Survey to Chinese scientist and promote river habitat assessment work in China, Dong River located in the Three Gorges Area of China was investigated using River Habitat Survey method to evaluate its habitat quality and identify dominant human disturbances. Both Habitat Quality Assessment and Habitat Modification Score were employed to assess its status and spatial pattern of human disturbance. Our research suggested that River Habitat Survey can efficiently detect the status of river habitats and find the dominant reasons for its deterioration.