1. Riprap

A. Stone riprap without vegetation: Generally used in stream bank, water course.

B. Riprap with vegetation: roadside, gully beds and head.

Function:

• Reinforce and armor the slope against erosion. It allows seepage to flow out between the stones.

Advantages:

• Stones are not dislodged once the vegetation is established.
• Good drainage through wall by the plants.

Disadvantages:

• Regeneration of vegetation is obstructed by stones.
• relatively expensive to carry out in large scale

2. Palisade:

• wall consisting of living uniform stakes of live material driven into the ground (one third of their length), close to each other to form a palisade.
• Used as defensive structure

Functions:

• Reduce slope in gullies and tributaries,
• encourage deposition of sediments especially in fine soils.

3. Brush layering:

• made of living cuttings planted in line, on terraces across the slope, following the contour, cover with soil with just the tips sticking out.
• It is used for stabilization of shallow earth slumps and loose soil slopes and gullies.

Advantages:

• It is simple and provides a very strong and low-cost barrier, especially on loose debris of slopes.

Disadvantages:

• The construction of the layers gives rise to a considerable level of disturbance to the slope.
• Brush layering should only be used on slopes consisting of loose material.

4. Wattling:

• Wattling, or rooted fences, is used over steep slopes in loose materials, where vegetation cannot naturally establish. (Phaledo, dabdabe, Kavro, Khirro)
• Soil is filled in behind the fence. Generally done along the contour line

Advantages:

• Fast and simple protection;
• Rooted fences establishes a micro-site for other plants.

Disadvantages:

• Large quantities of flexible branches are required.
• Labour and material intensive, securing effect is small, easily damaged, thus not sufficient for persistent rock falls.
• Applicable only to slope with limited volume of debris flow. It can be used up to about 40°.
• Not suitable on excessively drained soils (the cuttings dry out and die).

5. Fascines:

• Structures consisting of bundles made with live plant material anchored to the ground using pegs, which in some cases can also be made from live plant material (cuttings).

Functions:

• After rooting and spouting develop into a strong line of vegetation that depleting soil-water through transpiration and interception;
• dissipate the energy of downward moving water,
• trap debris and provide a series of benches on which grasses and eventually
• Increase infiltration.

Advantages:

• Simple and low-cost erosion control measures, which is effective even after silting.
• Very adaptable to the existing morphology,
• requires little soil work,
• suitable for steep rocky slopes where digging is difficult. The maximum slope is about 45°.

Disadvantages:

• A large amount of straight and long plant material is needed.
• Do not form a physical barrier immediately.
• can only drain a limited amount of water, up to about 5 litres per second.

6. Pole or Live stake planting

• Live staking involves the insertion and tamping of live, rootable vegetative cuttings into the ground.
• If correctly prepared and placed, the live stake will root and grow.

Function:

• A system of stakes creates a living root mat that stabilizes the soil by reinforcing and binding soil particles together and by extracting excess soil moisture.

7. Jute netting

• Done to protect the mulch from wind and water damage.
• Reduces soil erosion and provides a good environment for vegetative growth.
• Can be applied alone without mulch as an alternative to straw or wood mulches on flat sites for dust control and seed germination enhancement.

8. Hedgerow planting

• Linear design for natural resource conservation using woody plants or perennial grasses.
• It improves water quality and provide wildlife habitat.
• Contribute to sustainable mountain development through erosion control.