Ecological geotechnics: Role of waterfront geoenvironment as habitats in the activities of crabs, bivalves, and birds for biodiversity restoration

The present study aims to pioneer a new cross-disciplinary research field which we call “Ecological Geotechnics”. Recent findings about the salient geophysics involved in intertidal sediments made it possible to closely investigate the linkage between the waterfront geoenvironment and the ecology of intertidal flats. The results of a comprehensive set of field observations, surveys and controlled laboratory experiments demonstrated that the waterfront suction, which remained thus far unexplored in soil mechanics, and the associated geoenvironments govern the performances of the basic living activities of various representative creatures involving crabs, bivalves and birds. Furthermore, these results are discussed and substantiated in light of a successful habitat restoration project showing that such waterfront geoenvironment plays a pivotal role in the habitat selection for the benthos diversity. Hence, the present findings are expected to facilitate a new horizon for performance-based geoenvironmental assessments, design and management for the conservation and restoration of habitats with rich natural ecosystems in intertidal zones.