Evaluation of the Lateral Connectivity of the Suncheon’s Dong Stream Based on Riverside Data

Abstract

The lateral connectivity of Suncheon’s Dong stream was evaluated based on landside, waterside, and levee data of the river. A total of six items was evaluated, crosssectional structure, vegetation cover ratio, connecting waterway gate, levee slopes, urbanized area ratio and wetland area ratio. Among the items, the connectivity was high in the following order: cross-sectional structure, urbanization area ratio, and levee slope. In a total of 16 survey areas of Suncheon’s Dong stream, one, 12, and three areas were evaluated as continuity, damaged, and discontinuity respectively. The downstream section was evaluated as one continuity and three damaged, the lower-middle stream section was evaluated as one damaged and three discontinuity, and the upper-middle stream and upstream sections were evaluated as eight damaged. The cross-sectional structure, vegetation cover ratio, levee slope, and urbanized area ratio had low lateral connectivity in the lower-middle stream survey section, while the wetland area ratio had high lateral connectivity in the downstream survey section. The lateral connectivity evaluation results of the river aquatic ecosystem in Suncheon’s Dong stream can be used as basic data that is helpful in future ecological river management policies.