Watershed Management Approach Research Articles

Implementation of comprehensive watershed management and sediment control approaches in Anzali wetland protection

Implementation of comprehensive watershed management and sediment control approaches in Anzali wetland protection

Backward induction-based multi-layer approach for watershed flood management in arid regions

Managing floods in interconnected nonurban and urban areas of arid regions prone to flash floods requires a more dynamic and integrated approach than traditional linear methods. In this regard, this study proposes a novel multi-stage decision-making framework which reshapes the traditional cascade approach to flood management by addressing the interdependencies between upstream and downstream regions. The proposed cyclic decision-making process involves five main steps: First, the Hydraulic and Hydrological (H/H) conditions in urban and nonurban areas were modeled using the SWMM. Then, a multi-stage optimization framework was constructed, in the first step of which the detention dams' location and dimensions were optimized in the nonurban area. Next, to link the first and second stages of the optimization, COPRAS method was employed for selecting the critical upstream management strategies. These strategies were determined as the input for the flood network optimization in the second stage. Finally, the Backward Induction Game Theory (BIGT) method was employed to find the best management strategy, under which not only the upstream conditions were considered in downstream flood protection but also stakeholders' conflicts were totally resolved by choosing the Nash Equilibrium. Our findings revealed that the implementation of the selected scenario could reduce flood peaks at the entrance of urban areas by 60.7 % and enhance shock absorption by 81.8 %. In fact, we guarantee that it is possible to propose a scenario encompassing drainage and detention dams' characteristics that, in addition to resolving stakeholders' conflicts of interest, can reduce the risk of flooding in complex watersheds. Moreover, the framework transforms the sequential, one-way cascade decision-making process into a continuous cycle, where upstream and downstream's H/H conditions and stakeholders' preferences are evaluated in coordination to achieve an agreement. Also, this framework helps decision-makers access the most sustainable solutions considering hydrological and socio-economic points of view.

Investigation of forest fluvial geomorphological parameters through geospatial and machine learning approach for efficient watershed management

Investigation of forest fluvial geomorphological parameters through geospatial and machine learning approach for efficient watershed management

Comparative effect of traditional and collaborative watershed management approaches on flood components

AbstractIdentifying the critical areas of flood generation and determining the optimal measures for flood control and management (FCM) is one of the most important basics of watershed management. Therefore, the current study was carried out to prioritize sub‐watersheds (SWs) based on flood generation using physical (Ph‐MA), technical (Te‐MA), comanagerial (Com‐MA), and conjunct management approaches (Con‐MA), as well as determining the quantitative effects of the proposed FCM measures in the Cheshmeh‐Kileh Watershed, Iran. To prioritize SWs based on flood generation, geo‐environmental criteria were used in Ph‐MA, HEC‐HMS software was used in Te‐MA, and semi‐structured interviews with local stakeholders were used in Com‐MA. Finally, using the Condorcet algorithm based on game theory, SWs were prioritized in each approach. In the semi‐structured interviews, stakeholders were asked to provide suggested measures for FCM. Finally, the effect of each measure on the flood components was quantified. Based on the results, the measure of 10% improvement of forest cover in the entire watershed from the category of Con‐MA was selected as the optimal measure. In the return periods of 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 years, the effectiveness of this measure was 80.08%, 70.09%, 58.10%, 55.67%, 50.58%, and 43.62%, respectively. The influence of Con‐MA based on non‐structural and structural measures on reducing the components of peak flow and flood volume was more than other approaches. In general, it can be concluded that non‐structural measures have more effect than structural measures in FCM in the study watershed. The methods and approaches used in this study can be directly used by local executive managers, decision‐makers, and policymakers of watershed management and flood management activities.

Pengelolaan DAS Mikro: Best Practice Penanganan Potensi Konflik Akibat Semburan Gas di Lahan Pertanian Desa Nglobo, Kabupaten Blora, Jawa Tengah

Gas emissions occurring in the agricultural land of Nglobo Village, Blora Regency, Indonesia, have led to land contamination, resulting in worsened of watershed health over time. The evidence is apparent in the water and soil quality exceeding water quality standard. Consequently, conflicts have arisen in the community due to failed harvests of rice and corn, impacting crops failed. The aim of this research is to restore the health of the contaminated watershed, addressing both agricultural land and water quality. The methodology in this research involves a micro watershed management approach, which includes discussion activities with the community and other parties, remediation efforts, field schools and monitoring and evaluation. The study findings suggest that the addition of organic fertilizers to restore soil fertility, particularly enhancing soil organic carbon, is crucial. This is achieved by applying 29.58 tons/ha to 30.14 tons/ha of fertilizer on the affected land. Post-remediation water quality shows values below the threshold, indicating the health of the Nglobo river basin. The results of the planting test evaluation showed that rice and corn were in good condition, as evidenced by the absence of crop failure, and the fertility of agricultural land could be restored. Micro watershed management approach, of measurable, with real action together with the affected communities and related parties, can resolve social conflicts that occur due to pollution of community agricultural land.

Comparative analysis of RUSLE and SWPT for sub-watershed conservation prioritization in the Ayu watershed, Abay basin, Ethiopia

Ethiopia is currently facing a major environmental problem caused by soil erosion. In order to tackle this problem, it is essential to implement a comprehensive watershed management approach and give priority to conservation efforts depending on the level of severity. Therefore, the objective of this research is to evaluate the mean annual soil erosion and rank the sub-watersheds for conservations in the Ayu watershed, utilizing the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model and the Sub-Watershed Prioritization Tool (SWPT). RUSLE was utilized to predict the annual average soil erosion rate, while SWPT was applied to conduct Weighted Sum Analysis (WSA) for ranking sub-watersheds. Support Vector Machine (SVM) was employed for classifying land use and land cover. The Relative importance of morphometric and topo-hydrologic features in the SWPT was analyzed using a Random Forest model. The Bland-Altman plot and Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test were employed to assess the agreement in prioritizing watersheds between RUSLE results and the SWPT. Furthermore, field observations were conducted to validate the land use classification by collecting ground data. In addition, the study was enhanced with local viewpoints by conducting focus group discussions with agricultural experts and farmers to obtain qualitative insights and validation of resuts. The findings showed that soil loss varied from 0 to 110 t/ha/yr, with an average of 8.95 t/ha/yr, resulting in a total loss of 384365.3 tons annually. The comparison of RUSLE and SWPT showed a moderate positive relationship (r = 0.59). The results of the Bland-Altman plot indicate a consistent agreement between the two methods. However, there is inconsistency among the five sub watersheds. This study enhances the knowledge of soil erosion patterns and offers useful guidance for watershed conservation techniques. It can be also used as a beneficial framework for managing watersheds, with possible uses outside of the Ayu watershed.

Interactive Changes in Climatic and Hydrological Droughts, Water Quality, and Land Use/Cover of Tajan Watershed, Northern Iran

In response to novel and complex uncertainties, the present research is conducted to characterize the most significant indicators of watershed health including drought, water quality, and vegetation for the Tajan watershed, Mazandaran, Iran. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Streamflow Drought Index (SDI) are, respectively, used to quantify the meteorological and hydrological droughts in the present (1993–2020) and future (2023–2050) employing optimistic RCP2.6 and pessimistic RCP8.5 scenarios. To concoct discharge data for the future, IHACRES v1.0 software is used with a Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient (NSE) of 0.48 and a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.58. Maps of land use and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) are also prepared using Landsat images. Subsequently, the surface water quality is assessed using AqQA v1.1.0 software. The results show the difference in the severity of future meteorological droughts in different stations. In addition, the predominance of non-drought (SDI ≥ 0) or mild drought (−1 ≤ SDI < 0) is indicated for future hydrology. The land use changes show a decrease in rangeland (−5.47%) and an increase in residential land (9.17%). The water quality analysis also indicates an increase in carbonate ions in the watershed outlet. Communicating the relationships between study indicators, which is a big gap in the current watershed management approach, avoids future failures and catastrophes.

Towards adaptive watershed management: a new era of watershed management in the Anthropocene

Abstract The main objective of watershed management is to conserve land and forest. However, the paradigm of watershed management has also changed and shifted to address the existing challenges. In particular, since the Anthropocene, watershed management has become a critical topic of attention as human pressures to environment have increased. The alternative is to defend against the escalating pressures or to adapt further. Three goals can be considered as the key pillars of watershed management: biodiversity protection, land preservation, and climate change adaptation. The ultimate objective is to achieve healthy watershed. The various approaches in watershed management can be categorized into three main groups: fragmented, integrated, and comprehensive watershed management. The highest level is the adaptive approach, which promotes flexibility, learning and adjusting. However, up to now not many have adopted this approach for watershed management. Indonesia might be entered the decentralization stage, and with a little improvement it can achieve the adaptive approach. We also suggest that an adaptive approach needs to be promoted in watershed management, especially during the current era, i.e., the Anthropocene. Accordingly, quality assurance cycles such as PDCA (plan-do-check-action) can be applied in the adaptive approach. This cycle can be applied to prepare the further management by adjusting and adapting previous management to improve the quality and sustainability of the next watershed management programs.

An extended time-varying Budyko framework for quantifying the hydrological effect of vegetation restoration under climate variations at watershed scale

The Budyko framework, widely used to quantify the watershed hydrological response to the watershed characteristics and climate variabilities, is continuously refined to overcome the disadvantages of steady state assumption. However, dynamic variations in vegetations and climate variables are not fully integrated including coverages and precipitation regimes of intensity, frequency, and duration. To address this, we developed an innovative approach for determining the parameter ω in the Budyko framework to quantify the hydrological effects of vegetation restoration in a mesoscale watershed located in northern China. We found that fractional vegetation coverage (FVC), heavy precipitation amount (95pTOT), and the number of precipitation days (R01mm) are significant variables for estimating ω to improve the predictive capability of the watershed response. This extended time-varying Budyko framework can rigorously capture the temporal variations and underlying mechanisms of interactions between vegetation dynamic and precipitation regime partitioning precipitation (P) to R. Under the Budyko-Fu framework, compared to constant ω (ω‾) or ω that only considers FVC (ωP) or precipitation regimes (ωFVC) for simulating R, using ω that integrated FVC and precipitation regimes (ωP-FVC) can improve Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE) by 24.81%, while reduced the root mean squared error (RMSE) and relative error (RE) by 64.08% and 65.77%, respectively. Although the increase in climatic dryness (PET/P) resulted in decreased R, the increase in FVC has also a significant contribution to this decrease due to vegetation restoration. We highlight that decrease precipitation intensity (95pTOT) and frequency (R01mm) amplified the hydrological effects of vegetation restoration, causing a 79.09∼100.31% increase in R compared to the independent impact of changes in FVC. We conclude that the extended time-varying Budyko framework by precipitation regime is more rigorous for quantifying the hydrological effects of ecological restoration under climate change and providing more reliable approach for adaptive watershed management.

Revitalizing Key Conditions and Integrated Watershed Management to Mitigate Land Degradation and Sustain Water Availability for Agriculture in Semi-Arid Regions: A Case Study of Ethiopia

Land, the source of 97% of global food, remains threatened by progressive soil erosion-induced land degradation, such as, in the semi-arid regions. To address this problem, soil and water conservation interventions have been implemented in watersheds across Ethiopia. Despite witnessing successful and positive impacts in some watersheds, the broader promotion of watershed-based interventions faces obstacles. Soil and water deteriorations persist in many of the watersheds in Ethiopia, leading to water shortages and related challenges in sustaining agriculture. The objectives of this research are thus to i) identify the main challenges and constraints hindering the promotion of watershed-based interventions in Ethiopia, and ii) identify key conditions for revitalizing the Integrated Watershed Management (IWSM) approach to mitigate soil erosion-induced land degradation, rehabilitate and sustainably manage watershed resources. A systematic review of over 60 published articles, extracted from the internet database using various search engines such as Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Academia.edu, and ResearchGate, was conducted. Additionally, valuable comments from 65 peer-reviewers worldwide were collected through the Qeios platform during a posting period for more than two months, and these comments were utilized to update the first preprint version of this article. Based on the review, identified challenges and limitations include poor institutional support, lack of participation, inadequate planning of soil and water conservation (SWC) technologies, absence of research and development linkages, and insufficient capacity building. To address these challenges and limitations, recommendations for revitalizing the integrated watershed management (IWSM) approach and key conditions are discussed. The identified key conditions for revitalizing watershed-based interventions in Ethiopia include: i) ensuring institutional support and community participation, ii) strengthening the watershed-based intervention, and iii) establishing a watershed-based platform for scientific tools, research-based innovation, and capacity building to sustain water availability for agriculture in Ethiopia, serving as an experience for other semi-arid regions.

Watershed management intervention on land use land cover change and food security improvement among smallholder farmers in Qarsa Woreda, East Hararge zone, Ethiopia

ABSTRACT Natural resource bases are the basic foundations of food security. However, they are facing problems both in quantity and quality, leading to decreased land productivity and societal issues. Watershed management is the most effective technique for managing and utilising these resources while improving food security. The study evaluated the effectiveness of the watershed management approach using Arc GIS 10.5 to track changes in land use cover for the years 2009, 2014, and 2020 and surveyed 337 households in three different Programmes. The findings showed six land-use land cover areas, where the proportion of farmland and bare land decreased while the proportion of settlements and shrub land increased in the three micro-watersheds. Population pressure and exotic species' invasion were significant factors contributing to the decline in farmland, while a decrease in bare land and an increase in shrub land were the results of successful watershed management interventions. Survey results showed that approximately 93.4% and 84.9% of respondents reported reduced soil erosion and deforestation, respectively. Further, the integrated watershed approach implemented in the area improved water availability, reduced dependency on single crops, and increased off-farm activity. Thus, scaling up an integrated watershed approach can enhance food security and protect natural resources.

Can the private sector inform the government in water resources management? one watershed-one plan: a new approach to watershed management

Minnesota, USA has developed a watershed management approach called One Watershed One Plan (1W1P). 1W1P is a statewide program that seeks to manage water along natural boundaries, defined by hydrologic unit code 8 (HUC-8) watersheds. Historically, Minnesota relied upon each county to develop their own water management plan. State funding through the Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) was allocated based on proposed project applications sent to a review committee which then decided which project in a given county would get funding. This approach provided a vehicle for transferring state tax money back to the local government but failed to really solve trans-county, integrated water management problems. To solve both water quality and quantity issues a more focused approach with a larger payload of funding for a longer period of time was needed. Government alone cannot solve intrinsic water issues because most Minnesota landownership is private. In this paper we discuss how the private sector must be engaged up front in the water planning process for successful water management. We illustrate how public-private partnerships are essential for better water planning and management.

Introducing the concept of a ladder of watershed management: A stimulus to promote watershed management approaches

Watershed Management (WM) as an ever-evolving process should be defined and developed with its approaches. These approaches, which are developed over time, are the main guiding elements of this process to achieve watershed health and sustainability. In this regard, Fragmented WM (FWM), Integrated WM (IWM), and Comprehensive WM (CWM) were identified as the main Watershed Management Approaches (WMAs) based on the literature review. Each main approach also has a set of sub-approaches that are necessary to achieve its goals. The interdisciplinary, watershed, research-executive, integrated, participatory, decentralized, nexus and adaptive approaches are types of these sub-approaches, which are called Subsequent Approaches (SAs) in this article. In this article, the concept of A Ladder of Watershed Management is proposed as a stimulus to promote WMAs based on the hierarchy of the main approaches and their SAs. This ladder illustrates a gradual and step-by-step process for promoting WMAs. The most important function of this ladder is to answer three significant questions: (1) at what rung of the ladder do countries stand based on their WMAs?; (2) what is the next rung?; and (3) what should be done to move to the next rung? In general, after identifying the current and future SAs of WM using this ladder, it is necessary to consider the legal and policy infrastructures and approach-based environmental initiatives to operationalize the WMAs.

Evaluation of Watershed Water Quality Management According to Flow Conditions through Factor Analysis and Naïve Bayes Classifier

Previous studies on water quality assessment for watershed management have predominantly focused on specific seasonal or annual average values, rather than considering water quality variations based on flow fluctuations. It is crucial to identify the water quality characteristics within a watershed by incorporating flow conditions to establish a customized watershed management approach over different time periods. In this study, a vulnerability analysis was conducted to attain the target water quality (TWQ) in 22 watersheds within the Nakdong River system in South Korea. Additionally, factor analysis (FA) was employed to analyze the characteristics of water quality fluctuations in relation to flow conditions. The FA results categorized the pollution source characteristics of the 22 watersheds into various types, indicating the need for specific pollution source management strategies. These findings enabled an initial decision-making process regarding which water pollution sources to prioritize based on flow conditions. Moreover, detailed analyses of pollution sources were performed for watersheds, where achieving TWQ was challenging. Subsequently, a data-based prediction model was developed using the naïve Bayes classification model to determine the likelihood of achieving TWQ. As a result, this study proposes a technique for water quality management in watersheds by introducing a water quality excess probability model, which employs data-based analysis instead of traditional numerical modeling for watershed water quality assessment and proactive prediction. The study discusses the potential of various data-based tools to reduce development and analysis time, providing a powerful alternative to physical-based models that require extensive input data and are time-consuming. To advance future studies, the establishment of comprehensive water environment big data, improvement of real-time monitoring systems within watersheds, and advancements in spatial and temporal observation technologies are emphasized as essential for the development of an advanced watershed management system.

Towards Legislation Responsive to Integrated Watershed Management Approaches and Land Tenure

Land tenure affects integrated watershed management approaches in various ways, such as influencing land use and investment in sustainability practices and decisions. However, some land tenure and integrated watershed management relations need more examination, including how the prevailing relevant legislation responds and the needed course of action. In this paper, we provide relevant evidence to support a shift to responsive actions and legislation through (a) examining land tenure scenarios affecting integrated watershed management, including the public–private land tenure co-existence from a watershed perspective; (b) the responsiveness of the prevailing relevant legislation to integrated watershed management and the land tenure scenarios and (c) identifying legislative remedies recommendable for responsiveness. We use qualitative methods to review secondary data sources, including four legislations, and complement them with field survey data. Field experiences are from three sub-catchments in the Lake Victoria basin, each representing a different land tenure system, as case studies. Land tenure links with integrated watershed management in various ways, such as influencing land use decisions. However, underscoring the relationship from the private and public land tenure perspective also indicates a complex and tense spatial relationship. As such, it likely limits adopting sustainable land use and management practices in watersheds as a case. Regardless, the perceptions from the study area indicate the land tenure systems and forms enabling sustainable choices and decisions, despite limitations such as tenure insecurity. The disconnect between integrated watershed management aspirations of ensuring sustainability, the land tenure abilities and the subsequent human practices is mainly institutional, with the relevant legislation indicating a low to moderate level of responsiveness to integrated watershed management approaches and land tenure, thus, abating effectiveness. Therefore, we suggest a shift towards responsive programming and legislation and the adoption of model legislation to support responsiveness replication. We also recommend further studies to assess the legal gaps and feasibility thereof.

A framework for identifying priority areas through integrated eco-environmental risk assessment for a holistic watershed management approach

Identifying priority management areas (PMAs) through assessing integrated eco-environmental risk (IER) of watersheds is vital for efficient integrated watershed management (IWM). However, there is a lack of effective tools to support IWM. A novel framework, which couples the analytical network process with the mean-square deviation decision method to quantify reciprocal feedbacks between ecosystems and socio-economic systems for assessing IER, was developed to identify PMAs for IWM through a case study in the upper Beiyun River watershed, China. The results show that water pollution, water resources, soil loss, hazards (i.e., floods, debris flows, collapses, and landslides), and vegetation degradation are noticeable environmental problems in the watershed. Water pollution, floods, and vegetation degradation risks are high in the southeast plain areas and low in the northwest mountainous areas of the watershed, while the other eco-environmental risks are opposite that of the three risks. The soil loss is mainly dominated by negligible class with a mean of 10.87 (t·km−2·yr−1). The weights of water pollution risk and socio-economic indicator for IER are 0.2906 and 0.1837, respectively. It indicates that water pollution control is crucial for IWM, and socio-economic systems have a significant impact on IER. The PMAs, which are identified as zones with extremely high IER values, account for 6.46 % (72.91 km2) of the watershed. They are centrally distributed in the southeastern areas with high risks of both water pollution and vegetation degradation caused by large population density. The framework provides an effective tool to assess IER and identify PMAs for IWM.

The relationship of land tenure, land use and land cover changes in Lake Victoria basin

Water basins characterise both physical and social environmental aspects such as land tenure. As such, the basins extend beyond spatial units of physical resources and human relations analysis to policy research and reform units. The comprehensive view of water basins in research goes along with an observed increase in anthropogenic-driven changes, such as land use and land cover changes, and cases of ineffective remedial measures to the adverse change, such as through applying integrated watershed management approaches. The human-induced land cover changes affect the water basin’s biodiversity, for instance, contributing to an increase in zoonotic disease outbreaks like coronaviruses. The Lake Victoria basin exhibits similar patterns of change and effects due to, among other factors, land tenure, whose contribution is less known empirically. Therefore, this paper integrates satellite imagery and catchment survey data to examine the relationship between land tenure and land uses and land cover changes in the Lake Victoria basin of Eastern Africa.Additionally, explore the contextual character and role of three land tenure systems of Customary, Native freehold and Mailo found in the Uganda country segment of the basin in explaining the outcomes. The aim is to provide information that, among other benefits, improves water basin management and governance. The results indicate a statistically significant relationship exists between the perceived extent of land use and land cover change; drivers of change; the extent of adopting sustainable land-use practices, and the prevailing land tenure. Though with different tenure systems, the three case study water catchments experienced adverse land use and cover changes. The changes mainly affected land tenure indicative land use and cover classes, prominently on the Customary, Mailo, and Native freehold land tenure systems. However, marginal differences occur among the land tenure systems, as the systems feature both de jure and de facto systems and an orientation towards customary tenure characters. The situation likely explains the observed closeness in perceptions regarding the role and relationship between land tenure and land use and cover changes, tenure systems character, perceived drivers of change and eventual outcomes, including the sustainable land use practices adoption. In addition to explaining the land use and cover change, land tenure is an essential tool for restoration and sustainable basin development and sustainability. We, thus, recommend land tenure responsiveness in water basin management approaches for sustainable societal development.

Payment for Water-Related Ecosystem Services as a Strategic Watershed Management Approach

Payment for Water-Related Ecosystem Services as a Strategic Watershed Management Approach

Spatial dynamics of biophysical trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services in the Himalayas

The production of ecosystem services (ES) is highly dependent on the current state of spatial distribution, pattern of occurrence, and interaction among them, which is barely studied in the Hindu-Kush Himalayas (HKH). Taking a case of a multifunctional landscape in the central HKH region, we aimed to assess the biophysical production possibilities of major ES, their relationships and co-occurrence, and dynamic interactions at different spatial scales. We quantified and mapped six major ES (crop production, timber production, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, water yield, and habitat quality) at two spatial scales: landscape level (functional unit) and watershed level (management unit). Further, we analysed the relationship and interactions among all the possible pairs of the considered ES. All six ES were found to have a positive correlation, except crop production which showed a significant negative correlation with soil conservation. Moreover, we delineated 186 watersheds in the landscape and clustered them based on their biophysical potentials for the supply of ES. Gap statistics from K-means clustering identified three main clusters of watersheds (i.e., agriculture-dominated, poor-performing uplands, and multifunctional). The supply of ES from downstream watersheds was substantially higher than that of the upstream watersheds. We then discussed the interrelationships among ES at various spatial scales and suggested policy instruments for ecosystem management. The relationship among ES shows dynamic forms of spatial distribution, which need to be sustainably managed for minimizing trade-offs and maximizing synergies through the consideration of an integrated watershed management approach, improved agronomy practices, and global climate actions.

Benchmarking the Impact of Micro Watersheds of Sabarkantha and Aravalli Districts of Gujarat, India

Background: An integrated watershed management approach adopted in the recent decade caters to the management of natural resources and the overall economic improvement of the region. Watershed projects need to be evaluated after implementation to know the effectiveness of programmes on rural economic enhancement of beneficiaries. Methods: The present study describes the identification of impact indicators that play the important role in the measurement of watershed performance. The impact of micro watersheds was calculated on hydrological, agricultural, social and economic parameters in study area. To examine this impact, the WPBI (Watershed Performance Benchmarking Index) was designed from the evaluation of 10 impact indicators for these parameters based on Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The calculated WPBI was then applied with multiple linear regression to find the relationship coefficients for estimating the regression WPBI. Comparing both WPBI values, the difference in WPBI was calculated for validation of regression model. Result: The results of the analysis indicate that the changing of impact values of these 10 indicators has a significant impact on WPBI. Based on the impact indicators and WPBI, the watershed projects were benchmarked to compare the effectiveness of implementation of watershed projects under different watershed schemes.