The citizen River Habitat Survey (cRHS) is a method designed to allow volunteers and conservation groups to characterise and assess the physical structure and characteristics of streams and rivers.
The survey involves walking along a 500m stretch of river and recording its characteristics. The survey can be broken down Into two distinct stages. The first stage of the survey involves recording detailed observations on channel and bank features, human modifications, and surrounding land use at 10 locations called ‘spot-checks,’ spaced at 50m intervals along the survey site. The second stage of the survey is an appraisal of the whole site, or ‘sweep-up,’ that captures the overall characteristics of the survey site and any features not observed at the spot-checks. The sweep-up section is usually carried out while walking back along the survey site.
In addition to completing the survey form, you will also be asked to take photos and videos, which experts will use to identify additional features. Depending on local conditions, walking the 500m site and completing the survey form can take 60- 90 minutes.
The completed survey form can be inputted into the RHS Toolbox to run quality checks and conduct further analysis.
Suitability for monitoring purposes
| Monitoring purpose category | Likely tier(s) What’s this? | Suitability |
| Engagement: Education and raising awareness | 0-1 | ✖ |
| Surveillance: Ecosystem health screening | 1 (2) | ✓ |
| Investigation: Helping to target further action | 2 (3) | ✓ |
| Evaluation: Assessing the impact of actions | 2 (3) | ✓ |
Data system: https://www.therrc.co.uk/crhs-map with Android app for data collection and Excel / Access database.
Cost: Significant. The main costs are for the training and coordination of volunteers and expert interpretation of photos and videos.
Ease of use: Volunteers required to take 15 hours of online training over 4 weeks, followed by 1.5 days of fieldwork training.
Quality control: Local coordinators responsible for quality control
Coverage / scale: The scheme is available in UK and Ireland, but has mainly been rolled out in Wales.
Health & Safety: The manual has lots of information about health and safety, and volunteers are required to undertake a dynamic risk assessment on site.
Method sponsor/ owner / primary user: River Restoration Centre
Weblink: https://www.therrc.co.uk/crhs