Summary:

The paper is the overview to the methods of river valleys’ hydro-morphological (eco-morphological) evaluation, which have been used in Poland and other countries since 1980-ies. Author takes up the problem of evaluation accuracy and subjectivity in particular methods and the role of “biological” parameters in different valley zones. The usefulness of vast-area surveys and detailed studies are being analysed in the relation to the Water Framework Directive and sustainable development demands. The controversies about the key and particularly valuable species in river valley ecosystems are also discussed.