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Soil and water bioengineering impacts on biodiversity: multi-taxon monitoring in landslide restoration

Emanuele Giachi, Agnese Bellabarba, Francesca Decorosi, Gergely Ujvári and 7 more

Ecological Engineering | Jul 13, 2026

Abstract

Abstract

Landslides, as complex geomorphological disturbances, deeply reshape landscapes and influence ecosystem dynamics by exposing new substrates, redistributing soil and organic matter, and altering hydrological and nutrient cycles. In this context, Soil and Water Bioengineering (SWBE) techniques represent an effective Nature-Based Solution (NBS) that combines mechanical slope stabilisation with ecological restoration. This study evaluated the ecological effectiveness of SWBE interventions for shallow landslide restoration within mountainous forest environments of Central Italy. An integrated assessment of soil physicochemical properties and biological indicators—herbaceous and tree vegetation, soil microorganisms, and soil fauna—was carried out across three sites: a restored landslide (SWBE), a naturally recovering landslide (natural), and an undisturbed reference site (control). Vegetation emerged as the most responsive indicator of recovery, with the restored site showing significantly higher alpha diversity than both the natural and control sites. Although different pedological conditions characterised the three study sites, microbial communities' metabolic diversity and soil fauna composition showed strong resilience, reaching values comparable to undisturbed conditions. Overall, SWBE restoration effectively paired slope stability with the native ecological processes, promoting the establishment of diverse and functionally relevant plant communities. These findings highlight the dual benefits of SWBE as a sustainable solution for erosion control, slope stabilisation and biodiversity enhancement. Finally, long-term multi-taxon monitoring is suggested to further clarify the trajectories of ecological succession and ecosystem functionality in restored mountain environments.

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Authors

Researchers on this paper

Emanuele Giachi

first | Assocomaplast | ORCID 0009-0000-7065-9845

Agnese Bellabarba

middle | University of Florence | ORCID 0000-0002-5656-5225

Francesca Decorosi

middle | University of Florence | ORCID 0009-0008-3914-1472

Gergely Ujvári

middle | University of Florence | ORCID 0009-0009-1037-7622

Marco Cabrucci

middle | University of Florence

Lorenzo Tagliaferri

middle | University of Florence

Matteo Bracalini

middle | University of Florence | ORCID 0000-0002-0402-8604

Patrizia Sacchetti

middle | University of Florence | ORCID 0000-0002-7006-8516

Giacomo Certini

middle | University of Florence | ORCID 0000-0003-3171-8595

Carlo Viti

middle | University of Florence

Federico Preti

last | Assocomaplast | ORCID 0000-0002-4569-3811

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Citation

BibTeX

@article{Giachi2026Soil,
  title = {Soil and water bioengineering impacts on biodiversity: multi-taxon monitoring in landslide restoration},
  author = {Emanuele Giachi and Agnese Bellabarba and Francesca Decorosi and Gergely Ujvári and Marco Cabrucci and Lorenzo Tagliaferri and Matteo Bracalini and Patrizia Sacchetti and Giacomo Certini and Carlo Viti and Federico Preti},
  journal = {Ecological Engineering},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1016/j.ecoleng.2026.108085},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2026.108085}
}

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