Riverbank Restoration Research Articles

Assessment of the Local Strategies Used in Abating Flash Floods for Improvement of Community Livelihoods in Nyamwamba and Bulembia Divisions, Kasese District, Uganda

Floods are intricate events that cause a range of human exposures, including loss of lives, property, and damage to infrastructure of the communities. Flash floods though often blamed on inappropriate development planning and climate variability, floods can be predicted to a reasonable extent, whose scale and nature are often less certain. The study aims at assessing the local strategies used in abating flash floods for improvement of community livelihoods. Specifically, the study explored the challenges the local communities faced during the implementation of the strategies, and also determined the relationship that emanated as a result of implementing the local strategies and community livelihoods. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional survey design, collecting both quantitative and qualitative data from 218 respondents and 08 Key Informants that held key responsibilities at the Municipal Council and the community. Information from the respondents and Key Informants were collected using questionnaires which was in form of interviews and face to face interviews respectively. The study shows that some local strategies have been implemented towards controlling flash floods such as, restoration of river banks (69.3%) planting bamboo trees along river banks (66%), use of gabions (65.6%), putting check dams (65.6%) and construction of manmade channels (95.9%) along the hillsides. Putting flood barriers (73%) that floods affect the community livelihoods in various aspects of daily life and the local economy in terms damage of crops (74.8%) risk of diseases (83 %) loss of livestock (60 %), displacement (93%); The challenges faced in implementation of the of local strategies in the study area include financial constraints (81.2%), technical and logistical issues (63%), poor infrastructural design (83.9%), and environmental challenges (66%). A Chi square test showed that the implemented local strategies were significantly related to the community livelihood at P=0.001. Implemented local flood strategies resulted to a positive relationship to the agricultural productivity and protected community property at P<0.05. Overall, effective flood management strategies are able to reduce risks and contribute to a better community health with fewer disruptions to community’s daily life at P<0.05. Local communities should adopt and implement the use of the mentioned local strategies like re-channeling of water pathways along the hill sides and use of gabions for flash floods mitigation since they cost effective. There should be a country-wide implementation of community-initiated mitigation measures for abating flash floods and related climate change disruptions aimed at building and promoting community resilience and livelihoods of people living in flood prone areas.

Riparian habitat connectivity restoration in an anthropized landscape: A multi-species approach based on landscape graph and soil bioengineering structures.

In urbanized areas, rivers and riparian ecosystems are often the only ecological corridors available for wildlife movement. There, riverbanks are often stabilised by civil engineering structures (dykes, riprap). This can lead to habitat degradation and loss of landscape connectivity. Fascines (willow bundles tied together) could be an alternative to riprap, since they maintain the quality of the natural ecosystems by using native vegetal species instead of rocks, but their potential positive impact needs to be assessed. We proposed a landscape-scale decision-making method for river managers who want to restore banks by transforming riprap into fascines to improve landscape connectivity. We applied our methodology to a case study involving a 25 km-stretch of the Arve River, France. We selected four target vertebrate species based on biological traits to cover a wide range of dispersal capacities. For each species, we used landscape graphs to assess habitat connectivity under different contrasted riverbank scenarios. Scenarios included replacing all-natural banks with ripraps or replacing all ripraps with fascines. In addition, we systematically tested the effect of replacing individual 100 or 500 m sections of ripraps by fascines, to locate where riverbank restoration would maximize connectivity gain. The four species selected responded very differently to the scenarios (up to +14% and +46% change in Probability of Connectivity for common toads and Eurasian beavers, respectively, 0% for common sandpipers and barred grass snakes). The restoration of specific riverbank sections could result in important gains in PC (up to +33% for one single section for one species) but no section maximized connectivity gain for all the target species.

Bamboo for Riverbanks Rehabilitation and Economy Empowerment of Local Community of Desa Pitu, Ngawi, Jawa Timur

Desa Pitu, located along the Bengawan Solo River in Ngawi, Jawa Timur, is one of the regions with a high risk of flooding due to human activities like as settlement and intensive agriculture along the riverbanks. This phenomena causes soil erosion and crop failure, which reduces the income of the Pitu local community. A rehabilitation strategy is required to resolve this issue, not only for the recovery of the riverbanks but also for the enhancement of the local community’s revenue. The objective of this community activity is to educate the public about the use of bamboo species in riverbank restoration (Dendrocalamus asper). Bamboo is selected because it has both ecological and socioeconomic benefits. This project was conducted between March and September of 2022 on the Grojogan riverbanks, Bengawan Solo River, Desa Pitu. This exercise utilized Focus Group Discussion, lecture, and practice or training as its methods. The population of Desa Pitu might simply adopt bamboo species and cultivate them along riverbanks. The community and the community service team from the Silviculture Department planted 1,000 bamboo seedlings. The survival rate of bamboo plantations exceeded eighty percent, and new shoots grew swiftly (5 - 15 cm for 5 months). Training in bamboo growing and bamboo product processing improved their skills well. The community generates bamboo seedlings successfully through vegetative propagation. In addition, three local communities in Cebongan, Sleman, and Yogyakarta participated in a four-day bamboo processing training program. They were also producing some tables, chairs, and handicrafts with success (woven bamboo).

The response patterns of riverbank to the components carried by different pollution sources in the river: Experiments and models

Intensive agriculture/industrial activities as well as natural processes result in pollution in river water and groundwater. However, how riverbank groundwater responds to the components carried by different pollution sources in the river remains unclear. In this study, the surface water and riparian groundwater quality at the Laonanguan (LNG) and Hongqierzha (HQEZ) stations of the Gusong River, China, were jointly investigated via hydrochemical monitoring and water quality analyses, and the main pollution sources, i.e., anthropogenic activities and mineral weathering, were identified by principal component analysis (PCA). The absolute principal component score-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) revealed that anthropogenic inputs only accounted for 11.4 % of the total pollution sources for riparian groundwater, which was much lower than that for river water (24.8 %). The riverbank hence acted as the primary sink for the components (e.g., NH4+-N and TP) from non-point pollution and could degrade 13.7 % of the pollutants from the river water caused by anthropogenic input. Conversely, riverbank played a source role for the species (e.g., SO42- and Cl-) from mineral weathering and contributed additional 19.3 % for the groundwater based on river water input. Eventually, the combination of physical-based numerical model (i.e., using an advection–dispersion-filtration transport equation) and data-driven model was proposed to directly simulate and predict groundwater quality in response to the variation of river water quality. The results showed that both models could predict the status of riparian groundwater quality, and the physical-based model could better interpret the results compared to the data-driven black-box model. This study promotes our understanding of the importance of riverbank in improving groundwater quality in the areas with intensive agriculture practices, and riverbank restoration strategies should be carefully designed to maximize their potential to degrade non-point pollutions.

Meandering rivers’ morphological changes analysis and prediction – a case study of Barak river, Assam

Abstract Morphological studies are vital for water resources management, riverbank development, and flood mitigation. In this study, the sinuosity index and bank erosion were used to detect and quantify morphological changes using Landsat data (1990–2020) in the Barak river, India. The morphological changes were investigated in protected areas to analyze the effectiveness of existing protective structures on bank migration, which helps formulate better riverbank restoration plans. Using monthly discharge data from two stream gauge stations, the Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) models were developed. The extensive sediment transportation in the region necessitates studying both the river flow and morphological changes. The developed SARIMA model was used to predict river discharges up to 2025, being trained with data from 2006 to 2015. The validation of the model (2016–2018) shows that the mean absolute percentage error for discharge at two gauging stations is 29.78 and 23.52%, respectively. The analysis shows that the sinuosity index and bank erosion were inversely proportional. The SARIMA model showed that the future monthly discharge in the case study could be substantially higher than the observed series and affect river erosion simultaneously. This approach applies to many other meandering river management and identifies future morphological changes.

Changes in carabid diversity indicate successful restoration of riparian habitats

AbstractNatural rivers offer riparian habitats to many highly specialised, rare, and endangered insect species and are extremely important for ecosystem services. In the past, these ecosystems have been heavily degraded by anthropogenic use and run the risk of losing their favourable ecological conditions. For this reason, restoration measures are urgently needed and strongly demanded politically as well as legally, for instance, through the European Union Water Framework Directive. This is also important because nowadays, we are confronted with increasing insect declines. Using a Before‐After‐Control‐Impact approach, we studied the effects of a riverbank restoration (complete removal of a large gravel embankment) on carabid assemblages of riparian habitats along the Mulde River in central Germany in 2017 and 2019. We collected 86 species in three site types (managed, natural, and restored) by pitfall trapping and found numerous species of conservation concern. Our analyses showed that the percentage of species of conservation concern was significantly higher after restoration in restored compared to managed sites. Furthermore, after restoration, the percentage of indicator species for natural sites increased significantly in restored sites while the abundance of indicator species characteristic for managed sites decreased in these sites. Species assemblage composition significantly changed in response to restoration approaching near‐natural conditions. The creation of habitat mosaics with open gravel and sand patches as well as the re‐establishment of river dynamics were likely the most significant drivers for restoration success. We were able to show how important the restoration of riparian habitats is to promote populations of endangered, rare, and specialised species. Our results highlight that positive effects of a river restoration measure can be observed after a relatively short time. Ground beetles can thus be viewed as early indicators for restoration success, but we see a need for long‐term monitoring to evaluate long‐term effects reliably.

River regulation intensity matters: Riverbank vegetation is characterized by more typical riverbank plant species with increasing distance from weirs

The installation of weirs leads to extensive alterations in species composition of riverbank vegetation, as they distinctly change the natural disturbance regime of rivers. Due to their infrastructural significance, the removal of most weirs and impoundments is unlikely, which is why restoration measures along impounded rivers are strongly limited.To evaluate the restoration potential of weir-near (maximum 400 m distance upstream and downstream from weir) and weir-distant (minimum 1000 m distance from weir) river stretches, we sampled 72 total relevés (24 weir-distant, 24 weir-near upstream, and 24 weir-near downstream) along the German river Lahn in Hesse and Rhineland Palatinate. Weir-distant stretches do not have lockages directly surrounding any weirs like they do in weir-near areas; consequently, the impoundment effect is further minimized, which leads to reduced regulation intensity. Differences in species composition were evaluated by non-metric, multidimensional scaling and indicator species analysis. Species diversity, functional diversity, and csr-signatures were compared to test for differences between upstream, downstream, and weir-distant sites using a Kruskal-Wallis test by ranks and a Posthoc-Kruskal-Nemenyi-Test. Indicator species were used to analyze the distribution of typical species from the transition zone of riverbanks.Weir-distant vegetation was distinctly different from weir-near vegetation, revealing more similarities to typical floodplain species and species adapted to flooding and changing water levels, higher species diversity, and a somewhat higher functional diversity. R-strategists were more prevalent along the weir-distant reaches; this also applies to species from flooded meadows and grasslands. As these results indicate a more typical species composition for riverbank habitats, weir-distant river stretches are likely to bear a higher potential for successful restoration measures than weir-near river stretches. Thus, regulation intensity is an important factor when planning riverbank restoration measures. As summer annual species from the Bidentetea alliance were rare, we recommend the ecological value of regulated riverbank stretches be assessed by means of species that naturally occur directly above the summer annual species zone. Within our study, these species originate from flooded meadows and grasslands that occurred irrespective of the weir distance and corresponded to water level fluctuation intensity.

Shifts in potential geographical distribution of Pterocarya stenoptera under climate change scenarios in China.

Climate change poses a serious threat to biodiversity. Predicting the effects of climate change on the distribution of a species' habitat can help humans address the potential threats which may change the scope and distribution of species. Pterocarya stenoptera is a common fast‐growing tree species often used in the ecological restoration of riverbanks and alpine forests in central and eastern China. Until now, the characteristics of the distribution of this species' habitat are poorly known as are the environmental factors that influence its preferred habitat. In the present study, the Maximum Entropy Modeling (Maxent) algorithm and the Genetic Algorithm for Ruleset Production (GARP) were used to establish the models for the potential distribution of this species by selecting 236 sites with known occurrences and 14 environmental variables. The results indicate that both models have good predictive power. Minimum temperature of coldest month (Bio6), mean temperature of warmest quarter (Bio10), annual precipitation (Bio12), and precipitation of driest month (Bio14) were important environmental variables influencing the prediction of the Maxent model. According to the models, the temperate and subtropical regions of eastern China had high environmental suitability for this species, where the species had been recorded. Under each climate change scenario, climatic suitability of the existing range of this species increased, and its climatic niche expanded geographically to the north and higher elevation. GARP predicted a more conservative expansion. The projected spatial and temporal patterns of P. stenoptera can provide reference for the development of forest management and protection strategies.

Seeding Dynamics from a Local Seed Mixture on a Bioengineered Riverbank Protection Structure.

Restoration of riverbanks through soil bioengineering techniques allows managers to combine riverbank stability and riparian ecosystem functioning. This restoration often involves the sowing of a seed mixture, which helps develop herbaceous vegetation. This development and sufficient vegetation cover are essential for protection against erosion and for hosting biodiversity, two of the main goals of riverbank bioengineering. Restoration aims at recreating ecosystems closer to an undisturbed state; choosing seed mixtures of local provenance is therefore encouraged. In this study, we investigated the local seed mixture sown on bioengineered riverbanks and the conditions influencing the first steps of plant development, so as to delineate the setting favoring restoration. We focused on the composition of the seed mixture and germination capacity as well as the effect of sowing density and soil quality on vegetation cover and diversity. We tested four sowing densities: 5, 10, 15, and 30 g.m-1. The seed mixture presented considerable diversity and germination rates were heterogeneous. Sowing density had a positive impact on vegetation cover and diversity, and high cover up to 100% was rapidly reached. Soil quality did not affect vegetation diversity but had a significant effect on vegetation cover, with the nutrient content, notably nitrogen, most probably involved.

Soil bioengineering techniques enhance riparian habitat quality and multi-taxonomic diversity in the foothills of the Alps and Jura Mountains

Riparian zones have disproportional ecological importance relative to their size. For decades, the functionality of riparian zones has been altered, with detrimental consequences on biodiversity. Recently, riparian zone restoration has become a major issue. When channel mobility cannot be restored and when erosion control is of primary concern, soil bioengineering techniques are often viewed as a compromise solution. We studied 37 riverbanks, from civil engineering to soil bioengineering, plus natural willow stands, in the foothills of the Alps and Jura Mountains. Using a principal component analysis, we first studied whether terrestrial and aquatic habitat variables varied among riverbank stabilization structures and bank stabilization age and built a synthetic index of riparian habitat quality reflecting the multivariate similarity of riverbank sites. Then, using a modelling approach, we tested whether multi-taxonomic diversity responded to changes in habitat quality and to broad-scale environmental variables (i.e., climate, hydrology and land cover). Soil bioengineering techniques, especially willow fascines and to lower extend vegetated crib wall, enhanced riparian habitat quality by allowing for a greater richness and density of pioneer tree species but also for a larger cover of high quality aquatic micro-habitats. This increase in riparian habitat quality induced an increase in both terrestrial and aquatic species diversity, highlighting the added-value of soil bioengineering techniques to restore riparian biodiversity. This may confirm that stabilization structures made of willow fascines are better suited than stabilization structures made of artificial substrata to support riparian species. Also, beyond the positive effect of soil bioengineering techniques for riparian biodiversity, we found that climatic, hydrological and land cover variables strongly influenced diversity patterns. Thus, multi-taxonomic diversity decreased along larger rivers and in landscapes dominated by urban areas. This may indicate that the full added value of soil bioengineering techniques for biodiversity will only become apparent if more attention is paid to mitigating the negative impact of human activities in the vicinity of riparian zones and if larger scale environmental parameters are taken into account as early as possible in restoration project. Therefore, we strongly recommend that riverbank restoration projects, based on the active introduction of native pioneer tree species, should be planned at the catchment scale.

COMPARAÇÃO DAS CARACTERÍSTICAS BIOTÉCNICAS DE <i>Sebastiania schottiana</i> (Müll. Arg.) Müll. Arg., <i>Phyllanthus sellowianus</i> (Klotzscg) Müll. Arg., <i>Salix humboldtiana</i> Willd., E <i>Salix</i> x <i>rubens</i> Shrank

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo fazer um estudo comparativo entre as características biotécnicas de Sebastiania schottiana (Müll. Arg.) Müll. Arg., Phyllanthus sellowianus (Klotzscg) Müll. Arg., Salix humboldtiana Willd., e Salix x rubens Shrank. Essas espécies apresentaram-se promissoras para estabilização de taludes fluviais e recuperação de cursos de água em estudos anteriores. O experimento foi instalado às margens de um arroio, em 2008 no município de São João do Polêsine, Rio Grande do Sul. As variáveis analisadas foram: taxa de sobrevivência no campo (%); número, diâmetro, comprimento, somatório dos brotos primários e comprimento do maior broto primário; número, comprimento dos brotos secundários e somatório do comprimento dos brotos secundários. Dentre as espécies analisadas, Phyllanthus sellowianus apresentou os melhores resultados para cinco características avaliadas, tornando-se assim, dentre as características avaliadas, a espécie mais indicada para a estabilização e recuperação de cursos de água na região estudada.

Soil-Root System Withholding Strength for River Bank Stability

The ability of vegetation to stabilise soils is frequently employed in slope stabilisation projects including riverbank restoration activity. Soil block samples permeated with roots of Bermuda Grass commonly used for remediation and riverbank restoration were tested in a direct shear apparatus. Shear stress results of rooted soils were compared with results of un-vegetated soil bloc—s with similar soil types. The increase of shear strength was determined by comparing shear stresses at speciic horizontal displacements. The relative strength increase at the same displacement was 27.3 kPa compared to 19.1 kPa for un-vegetated soil at a displacement of 13.3cm (Location 3). The relative strength increase at the same displacement of 13.3cm was 43.5% for Location 1 and 42.4% for Location 2. The shear stresses in most of the blocks with roots were still increasing at the end of the test (maximum displacement of about 15cm). These conservative root biomass values and the shearing resistance obtained can be used in the assessment of the stability of the existing vegetated slopes and in the design of vegetated riverbanks.

Effects of riverbank restoration on the removal of dissolved organic carbon by soil passage during floods – A scenario analysis

Summary River restoration typically aims at improving and preserving the ecological integrity of rivers and their floodplains. Restoration projects may, however, decrease the ability of the riparian zone to remove contaminants as the river water moves into the aquifer, especially during high river discharges. The purpose of this paper is to analyze several factors involved during riverbank restoration (i.e. changes in riverbank topography and hydraulic conductivity of the upper sediments of the riverbank), with respect to their effect on enhancing dissolved organic carbon (DOC) transport from rivers into the groundwater. 3-D groundwater flow and transport with first-order decay was simulated for a typical setting of a porous groundwater aquifer near a large river. The simulations indicate that, during a 5 m flooding event, DOC concentrations in the groundwater can be 1.7–9 times higher at a restored riverbank (i.e. 250 m wide, no clogging within one meter of riverbank sediments) compared to a steep riverbank (i.e. 8 m wide, clogging within 1 m of sediments), in coarse to fine sandy gravel. 51–84 % of this increase in DOC concentration levels in the groundwater were due to an increase in submerged area of the riverbank, depending on the type of soil of the aquifer. The remaining part was caused by a change in riverbank hydraulic conductivity. The simulations further showed that the arrival times of DOC concentration peaks at 400–500 m distance from the river axis can be 18–27 days shorter at restored than at steep riverbanks. 77–100 % of the earlier arrival times of DOC concentration peaks at 400–500 m from the river axis were due to an increase in submerged area of the riverbank. The remaining part was due to a change in riverbank hydraulic conductivity. The effects of riverbank restoration on DOC concentrations and arrival times were bigger if river DOC concentrations increased than if they were assumed constant during the flood, the more the river water level increased and the closer the distance was to the river. The findings suggest that riverbank restoration projects as conducted as part of the implementation of the European Water Framework Directive, potentially, may have adverse effects on the groundwater quality near rivers. Additional monitoring strategies will therefore be needed in the future in such projects to protect alluvial ground water resources for public drinking water supply.

Installation of a Riparian Forest by Means of Soil Bio Engineering Techniques—Monitoring Results from a River Restoration Work in Southern Brazil

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.

Differential allelopathic effects of Japanese knotweed on willow and cottonwood cuttings used in riverbank restoration techniques

Using bioengineering techniques to restore areas invaded by Fallopia japonica shows promising results. Planting tree cuttings could allow both rapidly re-establishing a competitive native plant community and reducing F. japonica performance. However, F. japonica has been shown to affect native plant species through different mechanisms such as allelopathy. This article investigates the phytotoxic effect of F. japonica on the resprouting capacity and the growth of three Salicaceae species with potential value for restoration. An experimental design which physically separates donor pots containing either an individual from F. japonica or bare soil from target pots containing cuttings of Populus nigra, Salix atrocinerea or Salix viminali was used. Leachates from donor pots were used to water target pots. The effects of leachates were evaluated by measuring the final biomass of the cuttings. F. japonica leachates inhibited the growth of cuttings, and this effect is linked to the emission of polyphenol compounds by F. japonica. Leachates also induced changes in soil nitrogen composition. These results suggest the existence of allelopathic effects, direct and/or indirect, of F. japonica on the growth of Salicaceae species cuttings. However, the three species were not equally affected, suggesting that the choice of resistant species could be crucial for restoration success.

Soil Bioengineering - A New Technique to Generate Riverbank Restoration

Soil bioengineering is a kind of engineering by using living plant materials to construct the structures with some engineering and ecological functions, which can provide an effective means for the slope stabilization and site restoration of river banks. Experimental site in Liuli River proves that Salix cheilophila Schneid and Salix alba var. tristis are good materials to obtain near-natural riverbank restoration. Soil bioengineering measures of live staking, live fascines and brush layers are effective. After periods time of project implementation, significant effectiveness was obtained on slope stability, habitat improvement, and ecological restoration of river banks. This can provide guidelines for selecting materials and methods to control riverbank erosion. It was concluded that the approach could be widely applied in ecological riverbank restoration in China.

Housing development as an application of ecological engineering on streamside

The work presented in this paper demonstrates housing development as an application of ecological engineering on streamside. The study site consists of terrestrial, riverbank and aquatic zones, on which their correlation and effects were investigated. Interdisciplinary methods involving ecology, hydrology, environment and landscape were applied to achieve maximum benefits for humans and nature. A technical scheme for housing development was established and organized as a hierarchy structure, i.e. determination of problems, establishment of goals, designation of functions, production of plan, and development of designs. The designs and implementation of housing and land consisted of riverbank restoration, vegetation replanting, rainwater purification and landscape protection. Ecological benefit was to be the core of the housing project with consideration of social and economic benefits.

Ecological restoration of riverbanks using soil bioengineering

土壤生物工程是一项利用存活植物构筑边坡, 以实现河道坡岸稳定和生态修复等生态功能的集成工程技术。本文给出了我国第一个大规模采用土壤生物工程修复河道坡岸的工程实例, 工程选取本土植被, 采用活枝扦插、活枝柴笼和灌丛垫三种主要的土壤生物工程技术构筑河道边坡。考察了工程实施前后河道坡岸植物新生根生物量、植物多样性、土壤剪切力、土壤紧实度和土壤湿度等生态参数, 结果表明, 工程实施10个月后, 与裸露坡岸相比, 施加土壤生物工程技术的河道坡岸稳定性大大提高, 土壤抗侵蚀能力增强, 物种增加, 生物栖息环境和人居环境得到改善。该工程及研究为上海市浦东新区河道整治和坡岸生态修复提供了示范, 也为我国各类边坡的侵蚀控制和生态修复提供了新的工程技术和方法。;Soil bioengineering is the use of living plant materials to construct structures that perform some engineering and ecological functions and can provide an effective means for slope stabilization and site restoration of riverbanks. The demonstration project was introduced that first applied large scale soil bioengineering to riverbank restoration at the Airport Town, Shanghai. The soil bioengineering techniques such as live staking, live fascines, brush layer with native pioneer species were integrated for riverbank preservation in the project. Ecological parameters including root characteristics and their biomass, species diversity, habitat, shear stress, soil tightness and soil moisture were measured for site characterization and evaluation of a demonstration project. Compared to the control site, the riverbank erosion was reduced significantly, along with an increase in species diversity and habitat, and improvement in aesthetics and inhabited environment after a ten-month project implementation period. The bioengineering techniques and experience from the restoration project at the Airport Town of Shanghai could have been applied to Chinese practices of a variety of slops erosion control and ecological restoration of riverbanks.

Factors governing survival of black willow ( Salix nigra) cuttings in a streambank restoration project

A field study was conducted at Little Topashaw Creek in northern Mississippi, aimed at expanding the limited database on the survivorship of Salix nigra (black willow) cuttings planted on riparian restoration sites. We tested the hypothesis that sediment moisture availability (deficit, excess) as mediated by sediment texture and depth to the prevailing water table is a major factor governing black willow survival during the initial stage of establishment following transplanting. Replicated plots were established across elevational gradients and a range of soil texture. Each plot contained 16 planted cuttings (2.5 cm diameter × 2.5 m length). Plot depth to water table, soil texture, and soil redox potential were measured. Plant gas exchange, leaf chlorophyll content, growth, and survival were monitored periodically over two growing seasons. Survival was best at low elevation compared to cuttings planted at mid- and high elevations. Poor survival and growth were noted for cuttings that encountered sediment moisture deficits in plots with coarse texture while the best cutting survival was recorded for intermediate sand content plots. Results indicated that plot location on the bank and soil texture are two important factors that influence riverbank restoration success. Therefore, any riparian restoration plan should include careful assessment of these factors prior to undertaking such efforts.

Soil bioengineering and the ecological restoration of riverbanks at the Airport Town, Shanghai, China

Ecological, soil bioengineering, and traditional techniques were integrated to obtain a structurally sound, ecologically sustainable and socio-economically beneficial method for restoring the riverbanks at the Airport Town, Shanghai, which was the first project applying soil bioengineering to riverbank restoration in China. Soil bioengineering is the use of living plant materials to construct structures that perform some engineering and ecological functions and can provide an effective means for slope stabilization and site restoration of riverbanks. The restoration and management strategy was based on a plan to integrate the natural landscape using live staking, live fascines, brush layer, vegetated geo-grids and geo-gabions, along with native vegetation for riverbank preservation. Ecological parameters including root characteristics and their biomass, species and habitat diversity, and soil moisture and shear stress were measured for site characterization and evaluation of a demonstration project The riverbank erosion was reduced significantly, along with an increase in species and habitat diversity, and improvement in aesthetics and water quality after a ten-month project implementation period, when compared to the control site. Our project of ecological restoration of riverbanks can be viewed through the perspective of the 19 principles presented by Mitsch and Jorgensen, which shows also how the principles and methods of soil bioengineering, and the concepts of ecological engineering that have recently been much developed in the West have been absorbed into Chinese practices of ecological engineering and can be applied to ecological restoration of riverbanks in China.