Sabo check dams ‐ mountain protection systems in Japan

In mountain areas, sabo check dams are commonly used to reduce the impact of debris flows. The dam construction decision process is a very important step in the design, and some experience in Japan is discussed. Past experience suggests that a successful design is closely linked with a global catchment approach, combining hydrology, geomorphology, hydraulic and enviornmental engineering, and eventually aesthetics. Such a system approach must be combined with long‐term planning, excluding short‐term political ‘reasoning’.