Abstract
Soil bioengineering has been applied more and more in different regions of Brazil in recent years. The study in hand presents the installation of “new” riparian forest based on soil bioengineering techniques. This riverbank restoration work was implemented in the year 2010 and two onsite vegetation surveys, one shortly after the construction, and one in 2013. Besides that, the structures of reinforcement work, and its effectiveness were evaluated. By means of the vegetation survey, the applied species were examined for their ability to establish the riverbank in an environmentally sustainable way. Most notably, the species Calliandra brevipes Benth. (Fabaceae, Mimosoideae), Phyllanthus sellowianus Müller Arg. (Euphorbiaceae), Salix humboldtiana Willd. (Salicaceae), Bauhinia forficate Link (Leguminosae), Inga marginata Willd. (Mimosoideae) and Ateleia glazioveana Baill. (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) showed a good growth development. The proportion of spontaneous vegetation increased significantly, with Pennisetum purpureum Schumach. becoming a dominating species. Resulting from that, the intervention can be assessed as functional and safe, but the strong increase of spontaneous vegetation is undesirable due to less flood resistance. The vegetated riprap could be the best to meet the expectations of the construction elements. Partly, the anchored willows showed as well a good growth development whereas the species used for the hedge brush layer could not develop as expected in large parts of the construction.
Highlights
Soil bioengineering projects carried out in Brazil were done in the region of Rio Grande do Sul within river stabilization works, to protect agricultural land of small regional farmers
The soil bioengineering techniques, which are the use of living plant material for civil engineering structures, can be a helpful instrument for civil engineers taking into account technical and ecological, sustainable and socio-economical aspects
The aim is to enhance the biodiversity on site, and for testing various species in terms of their applicability for soil bioengineering interventions a wide range of species was used
Summary
Soil bioengineering projects carried out in Brazil were done in the region of Rio Grande do Sul within river stabilization works, to protect agricultural land of small regional farmers. The soil bioengineering techniques, which are the use of living plant material for civil engineering structures, can be a helpful instrument for civil engineers taking into account technical and ecological, sustainable and socio-economical aspects. These methods have regained worldwide recognition for their use in river and civil engineering projects (Howell, 1999; Acharya et al, 2005; Durlo et al, 2005; Li et al, 2002; Lammeranner et al, 2005; Wu et al, 2006; Petrone et al, 2008; Petrone et al, 2010).
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