Which species should be used for bioengineering in the West Indies?

Abstract

In the West Indies, erosion and landslides are common. In order to meet societal needs in terms of prevention against the risks of erosion, it is necessary to stabilize riverbanks and slopes of gullies. To achieve this objective, bioengineering offers more environmentally respectful solutions than traditional civil-engineering techniques. There are few bioengineering experiments in tropical America, particularly in the West Indies. The main recommendations are based on the use of exotic species even though this biodiversity hotspot harbors a diverse native flora, which can offer relevant possibilities for soil bioengineering and participate in the restoration of riparian ecosystems. This article presents a bibliographic review of bioengineering experiments carried out in the West Indies and more broadly in tropical America. It proposes a method aiming to identify relevant native riparian species suitable to control the erosion of riverbanks and to evaluate their multiplication modality for use in bioengineering. The first results concerning an experiment with cuttings of 31 species are presented and confirm their potential of participating in the development of bioengineering in the West Indies.