Ground and Water Bioengineering for Erosion Control
Editors
D.H. Barker, Alex Watson, Samran Sombatpanit, Ben Northcutt and Amado R. Maglinao
ISBN 978-1-57808-209-4 ; 2004; 412 pages; US$ 84.00      Buy Now

Soil removed from the land by erosion is the greatest polluter of the world's scarce fresh-water resources - now in greater demand than ever before. This book enhances our capac-ity to counter this problem by advancing our understanding of one broad category of stabi-lising soil - collectively known as ground and water bioengineering. It represents the state of our knowledge in the Asia-Pacific region, where environmental pressures are especially severe.

The appeal of bioengineering can be easily understood, i.e. bioengineering practices typi-cally use local materials and resources; it is normally less expensive than those traditional engineered approaches; it is self-sustaining as living plant systems are an integral part of bioengineering technology; and it can actually improve the productivity of agricultural and forest lands.

This book features the best papers presented at the First Asia-Pacific Conference on Ground and Water Bioengineering for Erosion Control and Slope Stabilization in Manila, The Philippines. There are four topical sections, i.e. Infrastructure, Forestry and Biology, Watershed Management and Agriculture, and Restoration. The geo-graphical breadth of the book makes this a truly international collaboration and demon-strates the versatility and successful performance of ground and water bioengineering throughout tropical and subtropical environments. The book provides new insights, valu-able case studies and effective techniques that can be applied to individual environmental problems, and gives access to a diverse and distinguished group of Asian-Pacific experts.