Evaluating the Effects of Rock Check Dams on Soil and Vegetation Ten Years after a Wildfire in a Mediterranean Forest Ecosystem

Rock check dams are transverse structures built across small gullies for controlling water flow and soil erosion. Typically, rock check dams are made of stones without masonry, concrete, or wood logs. These structures can effectively be used after wildfires in Mediterranean forest as anti-erosive measures at the basin scale. However, although the number of rock check dams continues to increase on the global scale as a response to the needs for erosion control and sediment transport regulation, their expected morphological impacts – e.g., reduction in the upstream slope of reaches and/or stabilization of gully beds - are often not achieved due to factors as poor construction quality, inadequate location and unsuitable design criteria. More specifically, observations carried out in several studies about the morphology of sections and bed material in channels with rock check dams indicate possible increases in erosion downstream of structures as well as negative impacts on plant diversity, soil properties and overall torrent systems. This research aims to achieve a comprehensive synthesis of effects of rock check dam on channel morphology, bed sediments, plant diversity, soil properties by observations made ten years after a wildfire in a Mediterranean forest ecosystem. The role of complex interactions between ecological elements, geomorphic processes and engineering activities is highlighted with the ultimate aim to improve the use of rock check dams for soil conservation and water resources management after wildfires in semi-arid conditions.