Ecological engineering for erosion control in torrential catchments

Abstract

This paper presents the scientific methodology followed at Cemagref Grenoble to assess the field of ecological engineering for erosion control in torrential catchments. Firstly, it explains how operational problems and issues led us to carry out investigations in the field of the interactions between vegetation and erosion, the efficiency of various actions for ecological restoration, and the ecology of the restored lands. Therefore, studies have been realised on the efficiency of natural vegetation barriers for sediment trapping, the mean to install them with bioengineering works, and the natural vegetation dynamics following their installation. Therefore strategies for the use of bioengineering for sustainable retention of sediment in torrential catchments are proposed, in order to reduce the solid load in rivers. The example of sedimentation control in the Durance catchment, in the French Southern Alps, is presented.