INTRODUCTION

We are now in the era where in concern to the protection of our planets natural resources
has reached global proportions. Research for using planets natural resources efficiently led into
the reduction of pollution such as greenhouse effects, ozone depletion, accelerated erosion and etc.

Soil erosion due to water and wind results in the loss of valuable top soil and causes land
degradation and environmental quality problems. Although soil erosion is a natural process,
different natural and man-made activities accelerate the rate of erosion, which results in decreased
land productivity and degraded environmental quality.

Erosion has an endless list of adverse consequences, and severe erosion such as gully
erosion is expensive to repair and can ultimately reduce the land to an unusable state. Loss of
sediments through erosion and the contaminants they carry account for many water quality issues.
Phosphorus and nitrates that reach surface water encourage eutrophication of local water sources,
while heavy metals and organic chemicals harm aquatic organisms and degrade general water
quality. Sediment that enters bodies of water increases its turbidity and causes undesirable siltation.
With all of these factors considered, it is necessary that optimal cost-efficient land management
practices are developed and implemented, regardless of the types of the land use.

Erosion Control Blankets are biodegradable materials that can be used to protect disturbed
slope and channel areas from wind and water erosion. The blanket materials are natural materials
such as straw, wood excelsior, coconut, or are geotextile synthetic woven materials such as
polypropylene. This study focuses on erosion control blanket made of banana fiber combined to
coco coir.

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Historical documents, starting from ancient records to data from the mid-twentieth century
and numerous literature reviews form an extensive assortment of examples that show how soil
erosion has been perceived previously by scholars, land surveyors, farmers, land owners,
researchers, and policy makers. Examples have been selected from ancient Greek and Roman
Times and from central Europe, southern Africa, North America, the Chinese Loess Plateau,
Australia, New Zealand, and Easter Island. Furthermore, a comprehensive collection on the
development of soil erosion research and soil conservation has been provided, with a particular
focus on Germany and the USA.

Geomorphic evidence shows that most of the agriculturally used slopes in the Old and New Worlds
had already been affected by soil erosion in earlier, prehistoric times. Early descriptions of soil
erosion are often very vague. With regard to the Roman Times, geomorphic evidence shows
seemingly opposing results, ranging from massive devastation to landscapes remaining stable for
centuries. Unfortunately, historical documentation is lacking. In the following centuries, historical
records become more frequent and more precise and observations on extreme soil erosion events
are prominent. Sometimes they can be clearly linked to geomorphic evidence in the field. The
advent of professional soil conservation took place in the late eighteenth century. The first
extensive essay on soil conservation known to the Western world was published in Germany in
1815. The rise of professional soil conservation occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth
centuries. Soil remediation and flood prevention programs were initiated, but the long-term
success of these actions remains controversial. In recent years, increasing interest is to recover any
traditional knowledge of soil management in order to incorporate it into modern soil conservation
strategies. The study shows that local and regional variations in natural settings, cultural traditions,
and socioeconomic conditions played a major role for the dynamics and the rates of soil erosion
on a long-term perspective. Geomorphic evidence and historical sources can often complement
each other, but there should be also an awareness of new pitfalls when using them together.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Figure 1.0 Theoretical Framework

Erosion Control Minimize Erosion

Blanket
Tensile and Flexural
Strength of the Blanket

Banana fiber and

Coco Coir

CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

Figure 2.0 Conceptual Framework

Combination of Materials Tensile and Flexural

for Erosion Control Blanket Strength

The use of Banana fiber and Coco coir in making Erosion Control Blanket will contribute
in higher tensile and flexural strength was the concept use for this research. Figure 2.0 summarizes
the components of the framework. This can help create more appropriate general results, analysis
and recommendations.