Definition: "Barranca" is a term that describes a physical feature of the land on which a golf course is built. A barranca is a dry ditch, gully or ravine that is filled with rocks. Sometimes barrancas are a mixture of smaller rocks, sandy soil and desert plants. When barrancas are present on a golf course, they usually are positioned to cross a fairway. How they are played is usually covered in local rules, but the norm is for a barranca to play as a hazard.

http://golf.about.com/od/golfterms/g/bldef_barranca.htm

gul·ly1 [guhl-ee] Show IPA
noun, plural gul·lies. Also, gulley (for defs 1,2).
1.
a small valley or ravine originally worn away by running water and serving as a drainageway after prolonged heavy rains.
2.
a ditch or gutter.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/gully

Erosion Control
I have been thinking about planting fig trees in a reasonably steep gully which could be prone to slipping as an alternative to some of the more normal "erosion control" trees. I am thinking of its root system.
Is this a viable idea? What varieties would best suit (North Auckland)? If it is not a sensible idea, can you suggest a tree crop or root stock for a tree crop that might fit the need to hold the hill together?

http://www.edible.co.nz/faq.php