Role of vegetation in protection against surface hydric erosion.

Role of vegetation in protection against surface hydric erosion. This paper is a review on the current knowledge concerning the role of vegetation in protection against surface hydric erosion. It first explains the mechanisms of vegetation action in relation to processes of erosion and sedimentation. Secondly, it presents the results of researches carried out on the efficiency of different vegetation structures and the significance of the rate of vegetation cover for combating gully erosion. (C) 2004 Academie des sciences. Publie par Elsevier SAS. Tous droits reserves.