Article Dans Une Revue Ecological Engineering Année : 2026

An overview of soil and water bioengineering as a nature based solution for erosion and substrate mass movement control in the tropics

Résumé

Soil and water bioengineering (SWBE), the most frequently mentioned Nature Based Solution for substrate mass movement protection and erosion control, represents a subset of civil engineering solutions. SWBE approaches have been the subject of considerable literature, particularly in temperate environments, but have received less attention in the tropics, despite frequent occurrences of soil erosion and substrate mass movement with severe consequences. A review of SWBE experiments and a list of suitable species were still lacking. We conducted a literature review on more than 800 references and selected 51 references that reported effective SWBE projects. From each reference, we extracted 14 variables related to the context, technical aims, structures implemented and project monitoring. We also completed a list of the tropical species used or recommended for SWBE, along with their taxonomy, growth form, means of propagation and native distribution range. Our results show heterogeneous efforts, with Africa and Oceania neglected. In America and Asia, a diversity of SWBE techniques (n = 28) were successfully implemented. However, monitoring was only conducted over the short term and without standardized evaluation methods. Of the 465 bioengineering species mentioned in the tropics worldwide, only 25% have been tested in situ, mostly outside their native range and with a limited number of species in each study. SWBE has promise in the tropics, but there is still a lack of knowledge concerning suitable tropical species and their development and biotechnical performance. Investigations including well-defined, long-term, standardized monitoring methods are needed to assist practitioners and to facilitate SWBE transferability in the tropics.

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Dates et versions

hal-05559398 , version 1 (19-03-2026)

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Mira Eléonore, Evette André. An overview of soil and water bioengineering as a nature based solution for erosion and substrate mass movement control in the tropics. Ecological Engineering, 2026, 227, pp.107951. ⟨10.1016/j.ecoleng.2026.107951⟩. ⟨hal-05559398⟩
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