Evaluation on biophysical carrying capacity to support land rehabilitation planning in the upstream watershed

Abstract

A comprehensive Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) plan is needed, supported by information on the condition of the Biophysical Carrying Capacity (BCC) of the watershed so that land rehabilitation activities will be right on target. The research aims to evaluate the BCC to support the SWC planning for the upstream watershed. The research area was in the Naruan Micro Watershed (NMW), the upstream of Keduang Sub Watershed, the Bengawan Solo Watershed. The analysis of the BCC used evaluation criteria based on the Ministry of Forestry Regulation (PerMenhut) No. P.61/Menhut-II/2014 concerning monitoring and evaluation of watershed management. The evaluation showed that the BCC in the research area was in the “Bad” category with a value of 128.0. It means that the watershed needs to be restored, particularly in terms of biophysical features. Several parameters indicated a poor category, i.g. the land aspect such as Percentage of Degraded Land (PDL) and Erosion Index (EI) parameters, while in the water system aspect such as the Flow Regime Coefficient (FRC), Annual Flow Coefficient (AFC), and Sediment Load (SL) parameters. These five parameters must become a concern and an important starting point for land rehabilitation planning in the form of SWC measures.