SQL database about soil bioengineering techniques for riverbank protection

Overview & Synopsis

Riverbanks form edges between aquatic and terrestrial habitats. They fulfil numerous important ecological functions and services. Natural riparian habitats are known for their great biodiversity, which is extremely high in comparison with their relative area. However, land pressure and building constructions are often built close to the water. Riverbank protection works with bioengineering techniques can be a compromise both for protecting human issues and preserving some riparian biodiversity and ecological services. But the lack of knowledge and experience collection is one of the main obstacles to bioengineering techniques development. Therefore, the building of a database about bioengineering for riverbank protection could offer an experience collection for both practitioners and scientists. River managers will have the possibility to know what bank protections already exist in their neighbourhood. In this way, they can use this knowledge and the feedbacks to develop new riverbank protection works. For research, it would allow scientists to improve their knowledge through a large set of data including temporal evolution and mechanical resistance of bioengineering techniques. Information is assembled in six groups: about the work itself (e.g. localisation, riverbank features), the watercourse (about the section in front of the bioengineering work), the soil bioengineering techniques, the origin of the data (which institute, which project), the plant species and a description of the different visits (including the present condition of the techniques). We are developing a prototype of BDGeniVeg this year. We worked with others specialities like hydraulic and IT in order to determine fields of the database. We complete it with field sampling and bibliographic research. BDGeniVeg is available on a website about bioengineering (https://genibiodiv.inrae.fr/).