Soil stability and natural hazards: from knowledge to action

A project of the National Research Programme NRP 68 "Sustainable use of soil as a resource"

In Switzerland, substantial damage on infrastructure of up to more than 100 million Swiss Francs related to one heavy rainstorm period and sporadically loss of lives have been caused by erosion and landslides in recent years. The frequency of such extreme events is expected to increase in future and, concomitant, the detrimental effects on ecosystem goods and services, particularly in steep terrain. The protection against as well as prevention and prediction of superficial soil failure are, however, still difficult.

To improve knowledge of and action against these hazards, we need to understand the processes at regional scale, define critical thresholds, and subsequently transfer knowledge into action at large scale. The most challenging questions to address within our NRP 68 project are related to the interdependency of vegetation, mycorrhizal fungi and soil fabric. In this regard we want to quantify the effects of vegetation and land-use on soil resistance, in particular against superficial landslides but also against related surface erosion, triggered by rainfall. This project aims, therefore, at (1) quantifying biological effects relevant to soil stability, (2) crystallising appropriate indicators for superficial soil failure, and (3) developing a concept of sustainable soil use.

During this conference we want to highlight the respective current state of research and elucidate the relevant parts addressed with regard to our NRP 68 project. The programme includes theory and practice in soil mechanics, biological effects on aggregate stability, the introduction to a landslide database, and modelling of plant effects on slope stability as well as soil erosion and biodiversity aspects, land-use and GIS modelling, and, last but not least, an insight into the daily routine of handling slope stability from an Administration's perspective.

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