  The coincidental detection of the gravitational wave event GW 170817 and the
associated gamma-ray burst GRB 170817A marked the advent of multi-messenger
astronomy and represented a milestone in the study of GRBs. In this context,
the launch of SVOM in mid-2022, with its two wide-field high-energy instruments
ECLAIRs and GRM, will foster the possibilities of coincidental transient
detection with gravitational waves and gamma-rays events. The purpose of this
paper is to assess the ability of SVOM/ECLAIRs to detect and quickly
characterize high-energy transients in the local Universe (z<0.3), and to
discuss the contribution of this instrument to multi-messenger astronomy and to
gamma-ray burst(GRB) astrophysics in the 2020s. A list of local HE transients,
along with their main characteristics, is constructed through an extensive
literature survey. The detectability of these transients with ECLAIRs is
assessed with detailed simulations using tools developed for the SVOM mission,
including a GEANT4 simulation of the energy response and a simulated trigger
algorithm representative of the onboard trigger algorithm. The SNR for almost
all detections will be sufficiently high to allow the on-board ECLAIRs trigger
algorithm to detect and derive the localisation of the transient, transmitting
it to the SVOM satellite and ground-based instruments. Coupled with the
anti-solar pointing strategy of SVOM, this will enable an optimal follow-up of
the events, allowing the observation of their afterglows, supernovae/kilonovae
counterparts, and host galaxies. We conclude the paper with a discussion of the
unique contribution expected from SVOM and of the possibility of simultaneous
GW detection for each type of transient in our sample.
