一般水土保持旨在災害的治理及防止，設計考量在於安全性與經濟性。都市型水土保持則在災害預防，安全性的提高，品質的提升，更重要的是構造物與環境的協調，使其更具親和性而縮短人與構造物的距離，因此構造物造型的講究，面模的考量，生物材料的使用，綠資源的增進，環境品質的維護以及更合乎人性的環境營造是生態型水土保持應有的理念，亦是水土保持工作者的挑戰。台灣地區水土保持技術，已有相當程度的發展與成就，對生態環境保育也漸爲重視，生態工法的採用也漸加多，治理的目的不但在滿足人類的需求，也能切合生態的需求。目前較爲成功及有代表性的治理實例包括：景觀野溪治理，農地水土保持，攔砂壩構築修正，改善河川水質等。都市型水土保持涵蓋工程、植生、藝術、環境調和等項目，範圍廣泛，實有賴水土保持工作者集中智慧詳加研究，共同營造出－更自然更具人性的水土保持治理方法。
Traditionally soil and water conservation is meant for disaster prevention and rehabilitation. Therefore, only safety and cost are often considered in the design. Besides disaster prevention and safety precaution, soil and water conservation measures in urban areas also have to emphasize harmony between the structure and the environment. It has to be user-friendly to minimize the gap between the structure and human users. The concept of ecological soil and water conservation practices poses a new challenge to the conservation workers. The structure needs to be well-designed using biological materials and green resources, well maintained to meet environmental quality standard and fits in well with the environment.
Soil and water conservation practices have been quite effective and successful in Taiwan. Environment and ecology preservation emphasis is increasing using more and more ecological construction techniques. Besides meeting the needs of men, the goal of rehabilitation has to satisfy the ecological requirement. At present, some of the successful and representative case studies include landscape torrent control, farmland soil and water conservation, modified check dam structure and stream water quality improvement. Urban soil and water conservation is multidisciplinary that includes engineering, vegetation, art, and environment enhancement. In the near future, soil and water conservation works should focus on innovative research in developing more natural and user-friendly conservation practices.
