EXTENDED ABSTRACT Slope Stability

The stability of natural slope, cut slope, road batter etc is a function of: rock/soil type and its strength, slope geometry (height, angle), climate, vegetation and time. Each of these factors may play a significant role in controlling driving or resisting forces. • Driving forces. Although gravity is the main driving force, it cannot act alone. Slope gradient, angle of repose of specific soil, climate, slope material, and especially water, contribute to its effect. • Resisting forces. The main resisting force is the material's shear strength, a function of cohesion (the ability of particles to attract and hold each other together) and internal friction (friction between grains within a material) that opposes driving forces. Vegetative Slope Stabilisation Vegetation has been used as a natural bioengineering tool to control erosion and stabilize slopes for centuries, and its popularity has increased markedly in the last decades due partly to more information about vegetation is now available to engineers, and also partly due to the cost-effectiveness and environment-friendliness of this “soft ” engineering approach. A slope will become unstable due to