Mustafa.Y.M., M.S.M Amin, T.S.Lee, & Shariff A.R.M. (2012). Evaluation of Land Development Impact on a tropical Watershed Hydrology Using Remote Sensing and GIS. Journal of Spatial Hydrology, 5(2), 16-30.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Land Cover and Water Sources
Land cover and available space has been a country-wide issue since its meager beginnings after the revolutionary war. Back then to solve spatial problems with population we just expanded and developed previously undeveloped land. However we now know the error of our ways and understand the dangers of too much land cover and deforestation. This poses a problem for developing nations that are seeing large populaiton increases in areas of large biodiversity such as Malaysia. Too much land cover for an island nation, like Malaysia, would increase impervious ground surfaces, decrease infiltration rates, and increase runoff rates; which would cause low base flow during the dry seasons leaving Malaysia with not enough water to provide for its citizens. Malaysia cannot indefinitely develop its rainforests without endangering itself.
Mustafa, Amin, Lee, and Shariff researched the hydrology behind land development and land cover. They know that "understanding how the land use changes influence the river basin hydrology, will enable planners to formulate policies to minimize the undesirable effects of future land use changes." They found that in the Upper Bernam River Basin of Malaysia the change in total peak flow was 28% from 1989-1993 and 11% from 1993-1995. This can be quite a problem for a nation with a growing population.
Mustafa, Amin, Lee, and Sharrif's research and model can be applied to many other countries facing similar problems balencing development and land coverage with wildlife preservation and water sequestration. Providing developing countries with tools and solutions now can help preserve rainforest land and keep base water flow at a level that can support a growing population.
Mustafa.Y.M., M.S.M Amin, T.S.Lee, & Shariff A.R.M. (2012). Evaluation of Land Development Impact on a tropical Watershed Hydrology Using Remote Sensing and GIS. Journal of Spatial Hydrology, 5(2), 16-30.
Mustafa.Y.M., M.S.M Amin, T.S.Lee, & Shariff A.R.M. (2012). Evaluation of Land Development Impact on a tropical Watershed Hydrology Using Remote Sensing and GIS. Journal of Spatial Hydrology, 5(2), 16-30.
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Still, we have not learned the errors of these ways. Even today we continue to expand with little thought to the environmental consequences. A huge example of this would be the keystone pipeline. As many developing nations look to the US as a model of growth, our expansion cannot continue in such a way. The loss of the Malaysian rain forests would be detrimental to not only Malaysia, but to the rest of the World, as well; everything is connected.
ReplyDeleteI could see why it would be incredibly important to map wilderness and urban areas, especially for a country with such natural diversity as Malaysia. It's a shame that the rapid expansion without a concern for the environment that the west experienced in years past is taking hold in places as fragile as this.
ReplyDeleteI believe that mapping wilderness and urban areas in countries similar to Malaysia is of utmost importance. Countries with mass amounts of natural diversity give the developed countries, such as the U.S., which have long exhausted their resources something to compare itself to--showing the developed countries where it could have been. It also shows all countries having a dense amount of natural diversity can create a beautiful harmony between the urban and natural environment.
ReplyDeleteI believe that mapping wilderness and urban areas in countries similar to Malaysia is of utmost importance. Countries with mass amounts of natural diversity give the developed countries, such as the U.S., which have long exhausted their resources something to compare itself to--showing the developed countries where it could have been. It also shows all countries having a dense amount of natural diversity can create a beautiful harmony between the urban and natural environment.
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ReplyDeleteWhile understanding land uses changes effects on the hydrology of the island is incredibly important, the potential information to be gained from such GIS analysis about the hydrology of the island in general could be equally important for planning with such issues as water resources and the utilities that go with them to provide for a population.
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