member whereby release of the locking member allows a first neighbouring side wall element to be disconnected from a second neighbouring side wall element and for the first side wall element thereby to move pivotally by means of its pivotal connection with an opposite neighbouring side wall element with respect to the compartment of the gabion bounded by the first neighbouring side wall element to open said compartment through the side wall of the gabion and allow access to any contents of said compartment the multi compartmental gabion of the invention facilitates post deployment recovery of the gabion by providing at least one openable side wall section along the length of the gabion preferably a plurality of openable side wall sections are provided more preferably all of the side wall sections except those at the ends of the gabion in a gabion having more than two compartments are openable most preferably all of the side wall sections along the length of the gabion are openable by u201c openable u201d is meant that the pivotal connection between the connected side wall elements of the side wall section is provided by a hinge member provided on one or both of the connected side wall elements and by a releasable locking member cooperating with the hinge member releasably to secure the pivotal connection therebetween in some preferred embodiments of the invention a first hinge member is provided on a first neighbouring side wall element and a second hinge member is provided on a second neighbouring side wall.