GIS assisted erosion risk assessment : a methodological case study in the Chittagong Hill Tract, Bangladesh | |
| Author | Hossain, Md. Moqbul |
| Call Number | AIT Thesis no.AS-03-11 |
| Subject(s) | Geographic information systems -- Bangladesh Risk assessment -- Bangladesh |
| Note | A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Series Statement | Thesis ; no. AS-03-11 |
| Abstract | Identification of erosion risk is essential for the p1ioritization of conservation efforts and the formulation of effective soil conservation plans. Considerable efforts have been made by researchers to develop models that estimate erosion and for erosion iisk assessment. However, none of these models addresses the socioeconomic factors that are usually the root causes of erosion risk. In this study, a methodology for the identification of potential erosion risk zones using existing biophysical, socioeconomic and land-use data, and coupled with GIS tools has been developed. The Chittagong Hill Tract of Bangladesh was used as a case study area. It is the largest hilly area of the country and under great threat of soil erosion. By means of cause-and-effect chain analysis, twelve factors related to erosion risk were identified for which spatial secondary data were available. For these factors, i.e., the erosion risk indicators, grid-format GIS map layers were constructed. Principal Component Analysis was applied to the dataset to determine relative weightings of the chosen indicators. The weighted indicators were then used to develop a composite gridformat erosion risk map for the case study area. The erosion risk map revealed that socioeconomic and land-use factors, such as human and animal population densities, and the extent of seasonal and shifting cultivation are important determinants of erosion risk in the area. The study showed that principal component analysis can be applied to identify factors critical for erosion risk and to allocate relative weights to these factors. It also demonstrated clearly that existing spatial secondary data, such as agricultural census data, can be used reliably to identify areas of different degrees of relative erosion risk, enabling the identification of 'erosion hot spots' and priority areas for more detailed investigation and possible conservation planning. This reduces the need for large-scale specialized data, thus reducing time and cost. |
| Year | 2003 |
| Corresponding Series Added Entry | Asian Institute of Technology. Thesis ; no. AS-03-11 |
| Type | Thesis |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources (Former title: Department of Food Agriculture, and BioResources (DFAB)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Agricultural and Aquatic Systems(AS) |
| Chairperson(s) | Zoebisch, Michael A.; |
| Examination Committee(s) | Ranamukhaarachchi, S.L. ;Shivakoti, Ganesh P.; |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Government of Denmark; |
| Degree | Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2003 |