Vegetation in coastal and stream-bank protection

Abstract

This review examines the use of vegetation in the protection of land bordering streams and coastal waters against erosive attack. Emphasis is placed on the identification of the environment in which vegetation represents a viable alternative to traditional protective measures based on inert materials, but the latter are only dealt with in a cursory manner. The major sections on watercourses and coastal areas are introduced by an engineering perspective which examines briefly the mechanical features of plants in promoting substrate stabilisation, and notes certain of the major engineering objectives important to the success of a land improvement scheme. Ecological aspects of plants are described in the context of species zonation and this provides the basic structure of the analysis. Engineering and ecological aspects are developed into a discussion on biotechnical methods and emphasis is placed on the general criteria for design. The review of the protection of watercourses covers situations with intermittent, continuous and near-stationary flows for which drainage ditches, streams, and reservoirs are representative examples, respectively. The section on coastal protection concentrates on the stabilisation of sand-dunes and on the uses of salt-marsh vegetation.