Erosion is movement of soil material caused by wind or water activities or gravity forces. It is also indirectly caused by human activities as many regions are deforested for construction, agricultural, mining and other purposes. Water or gravity induced erosion is present at sloping terrains, while wind erosion also occurs at flat terrains.
Erosion displaces topsoil which is the most fertile layer. Every year around 6 million hectares of fertile regions become deserts. This soil can end up in water bodies contaminating them. If wind erosion occurs, the soil particles end up in homes and working places in form of dust. Erosion can cause filling of drainage channels with eroded soil which results in floods during rainy seasons. When it comes to arid regions, such as deserts, wind erosion can move large amount of sand and bring it to urban areas. Therefore, erosion control methods are needed to prevent negative influences on agriculture, environment, everyday life, etc.
Some erosion control methods are based on stabilizing soil to some extent by covering it with mulch made from aggregate which is 1 to 5 centimetres in size. This method is not suitable for sloping terrains as the loose aggregate would easily erode away itself. Unless it is thick covering layer, the gravel doesn’t completely cover soil and wind has significant influence. It is not among erosion control methods that provide conditions for growing plants as this mulch is physical barrier for plants to grow.
Stabilization mats are usually in form of meshes made from plastic or some natural material. Meshes enable plants to grow. However, this is quite expensive method considering costs of material production, transportation and installation. They are not efficient in arid windy regions.
Soil blankets are denser structures, also made from plastic or natural material. They belong to group of protective erosion control methods as they cover soil completely. This also means that they are not providing conditions for planting. If made from biodegradable material, blankets do not last long. They are usually prone to deteriorating and thus require frequent inspection and repair. To ensure that runoff flows over the blanket and not under it, the higher end of the blanket should be buried in a 15 centimetres’ deep trench, all strip ends should overlap at least 25 centimetres, while the edges of adjacent strips must overlap at least 7.5 centimetres.
Plants growing and afforestation are the only measures considered permanent erosion control methods. However, on terrains prone to erosion it is difficult to start cultivation as seeds or even seedlings would be born with topsoil. So, there is need for support of other temporary erosion control methods, such as stabilization matting. But this method doesn’t support all issues encountered when planting on erosion prone areas. The other issue is planting on non-fertile soils or in regions with extreme climate. For these situations more appropriate solution is soil conditioner.