Geotextiles are employed in civil engineering and construction applications to efficiently and economically conserve soil. Palm-leaf geotextiles offer considerable potential to contribute to sustainable development and soil conservation. Their use can promote sustainable and environmentally-friendly palm agriculture, labour-intensive employment and earn hard currency. Ongoing field and laboratory research is investigating geotextile mats manufactured from palm-leaves to evaluate their long-term effectiveness in controlling soil erosion and assess their sustainability and economic viability. Palm-leaf geotextiles are novel and offer new bioengineering solutions to environmental problems. This is achieved through: (i) Promotion of sustainable and environmentally-friendly palm agriculture to discourage deforestation, promote both reforestation and agroforestry and offer a potential for commercial development. (ii) Construction of palm geotextiles to develop into a rural based labour-intensive industry, particularly encouraging employment of socially disadvantaged groups. In turn, this contributes to the stabilization of rural populations, thus decreasing migration to urban areas. (iii) Export of completed palm geotextiles to industrialized countries earns hard currency for rural developing economies, based on the principles of fair trade. (iv) Application of palm geotextiles are especially beneficial for complex engineering problems, as temporary application of geotextiles allows sufficient time for plant communities to stabilize engineered slopes. Investigations suggest palm geotextiles are an effective, cheap and economically-viable soil conservation method, with tremendous potential. Palm geotextiles offer enormous multi-faceted environmental benefits, which include technologies for sustainable plant production, promoting sustainable use of indigenous plants, improved ecosystem management, decreasing deforestation, improved agroforestry and successful and cost-effective geotextile applications in diverse environments. Palm geotextiles improve socio-economic foundations for sustainable development and the benefits for developing countries include poverty alleviation, engagement of disadvantaged groups as stakeholders, employment for disadvantaged groups, SME (small and medium enterprise) development, earning hard currency, environmental education and local community involvement in reclamation and environmental-improvement programmes.

Jute geotextiles are widely used to stabilize steep banks and road cuttings. Jute protects bare surfaces until seeded grass becomes established, then after several years, the jute decays. To evaluate two types of jute geotextiles, eight erosion plots were established in July 1994 at the Hilton Experimental Site, Shropshire, UK. On 10 April 1995, the plots were treated as follows: (1) jute geotextile net; (2) jute mat; (3) perennial rye grass (Lolium perenne); and (4) bare soil, with duplicates of each treatment. Over one year, sediment yields from jute net and jute mat were 1.1% and 1.2%, respectively, of the yield from the bare control. Although both had similar soil protection qualities, runoff was very different. The runoff from the jute net was 35% and the jute mat 247% of the control. Results demonstrate the effectiveness of jute net for erosion and runoff control, while the jute mat may both conserve soil and 'harvest' rain or redirect runoff.

Soil de­gra­da­tion by soil erosion is evident on the hilly- undula­ting landsca­pe, when com­mon land use systems, containing tilla­ge crops, are practised by land ow­ners. Results of long-term field investigations enab­le the proposal of specific erosion‑resistant land ma­na­ge­ment systems, which enable us to loca­lize and sta­bilize erosion processes on are­as most vulne­rable to soil erosion. It is fe­a­sible to im­ple­ment soil-protecting land use systems (i.e. erosion- re­sistant crop rota­tions and long-term pe­rennial grasses) de­signed for fields of vary­ing size, slope gradient and soil texture. The­se agro- environmental aims can be integrated with rural tourism, thus enabling re­ha­bilita­tion of de­gra­ded land and im­proving the socio- economic situation of rural villages. Matching specific soil tilla­ge ope­ra­tions with intensity of fertiliza­tion permits further re­tarda­tion of soil erosion intensity. The proposed vision of the modern Lithua­nian villa­ge is thus to re­com­mend new activities for local land owners and to promote sustainable and environmentally- friendly economic de­ve­lopment

Brazil covers 8,547,403 km2 and is divided into five regions (Northern, North Western, Central Western, South Eastern and Southern). The diversity of climate, geology, topography, biota and human activities have contributed to the considerable diversity of soil types and thus soil erosion problems. National soils can be classified into 12 classes. These are: Oxisols (38.7%), Alfisols (20.0%), Inceptisols (2.7%), Mollisols (0.5%), Spodosols (1.6%), Gleysols (3.7%), Aridisols (2.7%), Entisols (14.5%), Vertisols (2.0%), Ultisols (1.8%), Plinthosols (6%) and Alisols (4.3%). The erodibility of these Soil Orders is reviewed and is mainly related to soil texture. Sands and loamy sands are especially erodible. Soil erosion patterns are complex, being influenced by rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, topography, land use and management characteristics. Urban areas have specific erosion problems and there are illustrated using a case study from São Luis (north-east Brazil). Soil erosion rates can be excessive, in some cases exceeding 100 tonnes per hectare per year. Particularly serious soil erosion is associated with six regions. These are north-western Paraná State; the Central Plateau, in the Centre Western Region; Western São Paulo State; the Paraíba do Sul middle drainage basin, in Rio de Janeiro State; Campanha Gaúcha in Rio Grande do Sul State and Triângulo Mineiro, in western Minas Gerais State. Examples of effective soil conservation are presented, using case studies from both Paraná and Santa Catarina States. Integrated management of drainage basins offers a promising way forward for effective soil conservation in Brazil.

Some 30% of world arable land has become unproductive, largely due to soil erosion. Considerable efforts have been devoted to studying and controlling water erosion. However, there remains the need for efficient, environmentallyfriendly and economically-viable options. An innovative approach has used geotextiles constructed from Borassus aethiopum (Black Rhun Palm of West Africa) leaves to decrease soil erosion. The effectiveness of employing palmmats to reduce soil erosion have been investigated by measuring runoff, soil loss and soil splash on humid temperate soils. Twelve experimental soil plots (each measuring 1.0 x 1.0 m) were established at Hilton, east Shropshire, UK, to study the effects of geotextiles on splash erosion (six plots completely covered with Borassus mats and six non-protected bare soil plots). Soil splash was measured (10/06/02-09/02/04; total precipitation = 1038 mm) by collecting splashed particles in a centrally positioned trap in each plot. An additional field study (25/03/02-10/05/04; total precipitation = 1320 mm) of eight experimental runoff plots (10 x 1 m on a 15o slope) were used at the same site, with duplicate treatments: (i) bare soil; (ii) grassed, (iii) bare soil with 1 m palm-mat buffer zones at the lower end of the plots and (iv) completely covered with palm-mats. Runoff volume and sediment yield were measured after each substantial storm. Results indicate that total splash erosion in bare plots was 34.2 g m-2 and mean splash height was 20.5 cm. The use of Borassus mats on bare soil significantly (P<0.05) reduced soil splash height by ~31% and splash erosion by ~50%. Total runoff from bare plots was 3.58 L m-2 and total sediment yield was 8.58 g m-2. Thus, application of geotextiles as 1 m protective buffer strips on bare soil reduced runoff by ~36% and soil erosion by ~57%. Although total soil loss from the completely covered geotextile plots was ~16% less than the buffer zone plots, total runoff volume from the completely covered plots was ~94% more than the buffer zone plots. Thus, palm-mat (buffer strips) cover on vulnerable segments of the landscape is highly effective for soil and water conservation on temperate loamy sand soils.

Soil erosion by concentrated flow can cause serious environmental damage. Erosion-control geotextiles have considerable potential for reducing concentrated flow erosion. However, limited data are available on the erosion-reducing potential of geotextiles. In this study, the effectiveness of three biological geotextiles in reducing soil losses during concentrated flow is investigated. Hereto, runoff was simulated in a concentrated flow flume, filled with an erodible sandy loam on three slope gradients (13·5, 27·0 and 41·5%). Treatments included three biological geotextiles (borassus, buriti and bamboo) and one bare soil surface. Darcy–Weisbach friction coefficients ranged from 0·01 to 2·84. The highest values are observed for borassus covered soil surfaces, followed by buriti, bamboo and bare soil, respectively. The friction coefficients are linearly correlated with geotextile thickness. For the specific experimental conditions of this study, borassus geotextiles reduced soil detachment rate on average to 56%, buriti geotextiles to 59% and bamboo geotextiles to 66% of the soil detachment rate for bare soil surfaces. Total flow shear stress was the hydraulic parameter best predicting soil detachment rate for bare and geotextile covered surfaces (R² = 0·75–0·84, p < 0·001, n = 12–15). The highest resistance against soil detachment was observed for the borassus covered soil surfaces, followed by buriti, bamboo and bare soil surfaces, respectively. Overall, biological geotextiles are less effective in controlling concentrated flow erosion compared with interrill erosion. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Data has been obtained from sandy loam Eutric Albeluvisol-ABe at the Kaltinenai Research Station of the Lithuanian Institute of Agriculture on the undulating topography of Western Lithuania. Results from 18 years of investigations show significant increases in soil organic matter (SOM) content under grass-grain crop rotations compared with field and grain-grass crop rotations, which thus provides evidence for carbon sequestration in soil.

Discusses the fundamentals of geosynthetics. Examines various applications in areas such as filters, separators, landfills and foundation materials. Reviews quality assurance and the service life of geosynthetics. Geosynthetics are man-made polymer-based materials which facilitate cost effective building, environmental, transportation and other construction projects. Given their versatility, geosynthetics are a vital material in all aspects of civil engineering. The first section of the book covers the fundamentals of geosynthetics. Chapters discuss the design and durability of geosynthetics together with their material properties and international standards governing their use. Building on these foundations, Part 2 examines the various applications of geosynthetics in areas such as filters, separators, landfills, barriers and foundation materials. The book concludes by reviewing methods of quality assurance and the service life of geosynthetics. Written by an international team of contributors, Geosynthetics in civil engineering is an essential reference to all those involved in civil engineering. (Woodhead Publishing)

Geotextiles constructed from Borassus aethiopum (black rhun palm) leaves are currently being investigated for their effectiveness in decreasing water erosion. The study aims to develop sustainable methods of soil conservation where the material meets selected criteria (readily available, simple and cost-effective to manufacture, provides immediate erosion control and possibly increases soil fertility and organic matter content). Grid mats were manufactured in a cottage workshop in The Gambia, West Africa. They are currently under investigation at the Hilton Experimental Site in Shropshire, UK. Eight runoff plots (10 × 1 m on a 15° slope) are being used, with duplicate treatments: (i) bare soil; (ii) grassed; (iii) bare soil with 1 m palm-mat buffer zones at the lower end of the plots; and (iv) completely covered with palm-mats. Results from one year of field study (2002-03) indicate sediment yield is 36·8 per cent from replicated covered plots and 35·9 per cent from the replicated buffer zone plots, compared to the control bare plots. Sediment yield equated to 0·45 t ha-1 from bare soil, 0·09 t ha-1 from grassed plots and 0·17 t ha-1 from both the covered and buffer zone plots. The results suggest palm-mat application as protective buffer strips is highly effective in temperate climates. Future work is intended to follow this pilot study and develop well-researched guidelines for practical field applications in other global regions, namely Africa, Southeast Asia and South America.

Provides a unique and comprehensive assessment of soil erosion throughout Europe, an important aspect to control and manage if landscapes are to be sustained for the future. Written in two parts, Soil Erosion in Europe primarily focuses on current issues, area specific soil erosion rates, on and off-site impacts, government responses, soil conservation measures, and soil erosion risk maps. The first part overviews the erosion processes and the problems encountered within each European country, whilst the second section takes a cross-cutting theme approach. Based on an EU-funded project that has been running for four years with erosion scientists from 19 countries Reviews contemporary erosion processes and rates on arable and rangeland in Europe Looks at current issues, such as socio-economic drivers, controlling factors specific to the country and changes in land use