Third in the series ‘The Use of Vegetation to Improve Slope Stability,’ this conference will take place at the Department of Forest Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, during 23 - 27 July 2012.

As in the preceding conferences, we will bring together scientific researchers, practitioners, geotechnical and civil engineers, biologists, ecologists, geomorphologists and foresters to discuss current problems in slope stability research, and how to address those problems using soil bio- and ecoengineering techniques.

Over the last 50 years, alterations in land-use coupled with the consequences of climate change have led to severe degradation of mountainous and hilly regions around the world. Once a landslide has occurred or erosion processes are underway, the replacement of soil on the denuded slope can take thousands of years through natural processes. In a world where the population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2040, agricultural soil is precious and hillslope stability is now a priority for governments needing to feed rapidly increasing populations. Therefore, the prevention of slope instability, the restoration of degraded slopes and the correct management of steep farmed slopes is of utmost importance. In response to the need for better mitigation strategies, advances in research and applications for using vegetation to improve slope stability have been major in the last ten years, largely due to the development of techniques and models for the study of root-soil interactions at different scales. These advances will be presented and discussed at the conference, where sessions will focus on root-soil mechanics, vegetation on slopes over time and space, vegetation for reversing soil degradation and soil bioengineering case studies. Proceedings will be published in special editions of the international journals ‘Plant and Soil’ and 'Ecological Engineering.'

We hope that you will be able to join us at this meeting, to be held in Vancouver, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Surrounded by majestic mountains, sparkling ocean and rainforests, Vancouver is situated in a unique location, making it the ideal venue for our conference and for post-meeting leisure activities.

More information please visit: http://inbe.cirad.fr