Traditional policies for managing river bank erosion are currently being reconsidered as a result of increased awareness regarding the unsustainable nature of some forms of bank protection, and the role played by bank erosion in providing ecosystem services and supporting geomorphological functions. River managers are therefore increasingly seeking to preserve bank erosion within a defined erodible corridor. This paper provides an overview of the erodible corridor concept, focusing on the provision of guidelines for applying the concept in practice. We argue that a nested approach is required to address management objectives across a range of scales (network scale, reach scale, local scale) and review the different geomorphic tools that are available to help managers define the extent and inner sensitivity of the erodible corridor. These tools include simple rules of thumb such as evaluation of the equilibrium meander amplitude, historical approaches based on overlays of historical channel position, and simulation modelling. The advantages and limitations of each of these tools are discussed. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.