Check dam uses for soil conservation and erosion control: a worldwide review

Abstract

The construction of check dams is one of the most common watershed management tools in degraded catchments. For example, check dams have been used throughout the world for torrent control, water supply enhancement, agricultural land development, and watershed restoration among others. Historically, managers have spent important resources for both maintenance of existing and the construction of new check dams. This contribution presents a comprehensive review related to check dams objectives, functions, effectiveness and undesired effects worldwide. Authors aim to synthesize check dams use and efficacy across the wide range of locations and contexts in which the check dams have been installed. The role of complex interactions between ecological impacts, geomorphic processes and engineering activities is also highlighted. Overall, check dams construction is a widely used tool in degraded catchments, although their efficacy in achieving proposed objectives is often not thoroughly assessed. The authors have identified check dams characteristics and the process feedback loops that these tools initiate across a range of spatial scales and geographic locations.

Keywords: Soil erosion, land use change; flooding; watershed management.