Rivers - channel, floodplain and valley-side - function as total transport systems, transferring water and sediments to the sea. These dynamics follow physical laws yet these laws are given meaning by their context: boundary conditions in a variety of global environments, in a range of scales, and, most critically for management, over different timescales. Naturally, land settlement and developments must impact on water. Land, Water and Development describes river basin systems and their management across the world. Highly illustrated, the book covers hydrological and fluvial geomorphic responses to land use changes and sets this within the broader social and political context. A comprehensive reference and guide to global theory and practice, Land, Water and Development should prove invaluable to all those concerned for river environments.