CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

The study is conducted in the Tabuan Jaya Baru residential area which is located at

the South-East of Kuching city. The residential area is located beside SMK Tabuan Jaya

and SRB Chung Hua No. 2 as shown in Figure 3.1. The Stutong River is enveloping

more than half of the Tabuan Jaya Baru residential area and drained to Kuap River.

The study area is chosen due to that area shows an interception of human

disturbance on riparian zone and various type of riparian vegetation. The riparian zone

of the study area have a noticeably different plant species than other areas adjacent to it,

hence it is qualify for the vegetation based riparian zone health assessment. The

residential area is situated beside the river; therefore anthropogenic implications in

riparian system can be also explored. The Stutong River is long and native river bank

vegetation is observed along the majority of the river lengths.

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 Stutong River
Figure 3.1: Study Area at Tabuan Jaya Baru Residential Area

With the condition and function of the existing riparian system make known, three

attributors – vegetation cover, groundwater table and human activities within the system

are selected as a representative of the zone conditions to provide an insight to human

impacts on riparian conditions. Figure 3.2 below is showing how the assessment is

intended to be done.

Riparian Human Vegetation Groundwater

Health Activities Cover Table

Figure 3.2: Framework to Assess Human Impacts on Riparian Health

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 Vegetations are excellent indicators of riparian zone condition for many reasons

including their relatively high levels of species richness, rapid growth rates and direct

response to environmental change. Many human-related alterations to the environment

that act to degrade riparian zone ecosystems cause shifts in plant community

composition that can be quantified easily. Vegetation communities change in response

to hydrologic alterations, nutrient enrichment, sediment loading and turbidity and other

pollutants.

The groundwater table is one of the indicators to assess riparian zone health because

groundwater is the key habitat conditions affecting the distribution and abundance of

native species (Johnson and Jones, 1977). The groundwater circulates in riparian zones

and assists in regulating temperature, thereby providing important ecological functions.

Groundwater moves into rivers, moistens soils and irrigates vegetation. It also carries

nutrients needed for animal and plant health.

Human settlement has always been focused on rivers and is often a major

determinant of riparian structure and function (Dynesius and Nilsson, 1977).

Disturbances related to land use, water chemistry, riparian and instream habitat

degradation are significantly correlated with the riparian health.

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3.2 Investigation of Riparian Health

To investigate the selected riparian zone health, a field visit is carried out to do

visual assessment of riparian health. Visual assessment can be a straight forward and

simple method in evaluating the overall health of riparian zones. The advantage of using

visual assessment method is providing a simple and rapid tool that can make time and

cost effective.

Through visual assessment, the three main attributes which are vegetation, human

settlement and groundwater table are observed. Vegetation is a sensitive measure of

anthropogenic impacts to riparian zone ecosystems. Hence, the status and trends of

riparian health can be obtained through observation.

3.3 Investigation of Land Uses

In addition, human disturbances at riparian zone need to be assessed too. A GIS is

used for judging the riparian health whether the riparian zone is least or most impacted

by human disturbances. This initial analysis is undertaken by using the Environmental

System Research Insitute (ESRI)’s ArcView GIS. ArcView 3.2 is a desktop geographic

information system. The ArcView 3.2 makes the satellite map of the study area simpler

to put mapping and geospatial analytics into the hands of more people without requiring

that they be GIS experts. The riparian zones are digitized with twenty polygons of 100m

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x 100m in size. Polygon is used because the selected area within the polygon is a

suitable depiction of the riparian zone for generalizing data, statistical mapping and

analytical work. In fact, 50m x 100m can bear more adequate result if compare to 100m

x 100m, 50m x 100m can cover up small area that 100m x 100m fail to do so. However,

100m x 100m size is chosen due to 50m x 100m size polygon is hard to access at study

area. Some land owners do not give permission to access the riparian zone behind their

houses.

In general, the width of a riparian zone varies with the functions the zone serves.

However, one hundred meter square polygons cover more adequately vegetation and

human activities from river edge rather than smaller polygons. One hundred meter

square polygons are placed along the riparian zone. This provides an indication of

human disturbance compositions across the study area from the toe of the river bank,

onto the bank slope, at the top of the river bank and onto the flood plain. Within each

one hundred meter square polygons, an estimate of vegetation covers and human

activities is made. The locations of each polygon are indicated on the satellite image of

the study area at Tabuan Jaya Baru residential area (see Figure 3.3).

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Figure 3.3: Polygons at the Study Area

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3.4 Investigation of Hydrology

Groundwater table is also reflecting the health of riparian zone. When a riparian

zone is properly functioning and healthy, it can influence an increase in groundwater

recharge (Huel, 1998; Fitch et al., 2003). The groundwater table can be determined by

observe the soil condition at vegetation cover. If the soil surface is wet or groundwater

is visible at vegetation cover soil then the study area is consider as high water table.

When water can temporarily collect in marked depressions after walk over vegetation

area, this is determined as high groundwater table. If the soil condition is dry and weeds

taken mostly of the site then the groundwater table is classify as low.

3.5 Summary

Riparian health can be assessed by various indicators; however, the indicators of

riparian vegetation, anthropogenic implications and groundwater table are the most

reliable indictors and easy to assess. With the aid of GIS technology and field test, a

combination of adequate results can be obtained for riparian assessment.

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