Nattinee Munchaona. Watershed ecological carrying capacity analysis : a case study of Lam Phra Phloeng watershed, Nakhon Ratchasima province . Master's Degree(Environmental Planning for Community and Rural Development). Mahidol University. Mahidol University Library and Knowledge Center. : Mahidol University, 2009.
Watershed ecological carrying capacity analysis : a case study of Lam Phra Phloeng watershed, Nakhon Ratchasima province
Abstract:
This study was an application of the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT
model) to simulate the Ecological Function of the Lam Phra Phloeng Watershed, Nakhonratchasima
province. It was based on discharge and sediment yield for evaluation of the critical watershed as
indicators of determining the Level of Watershed Ecological Carrying Capacity (WECC).
In this study, the potential of the Ecological Function was determined by using the
SWAT model to analyze the discharge and sediment from 1997 to 2006, and a calibration
model was used to compare the observed data of the runoff station (M.145) Ban Wang Ta-khian
Thong with the model results in terms of a correlation coefficient (r). The result of the calibration
model showed that the correlation coefficient (r) was 0.87. The result indicated that the SWAT
model was able to simulate runoff quite well and could be used to analyze data for this case
study.
The potential of the Ecological Function of this study in the Lam Phra Phloeng
watershed area is that if agricultural land use is a higher percentage than natural forest use,
this will decrease ground water absorption and increase output stream discharge of the
hydrological cycle. The discharge will be more than normal in the wet season and increase
sediment load in the river. In the dry season, discharge will be less than normal and will affect
drought conditions in the study area. Therefore, the percentage of each type of land use that is
acceptable would be a natural forest area of approximately 34% and an agricultural area of
approximately 65%.