Analysing the environmental condition for forestry area using GIS-AHP approach in Forest Research Institute Malaysia campus, Selangor

Abstract

Forests are fundamental resources that provide a significant aesthetic, cultural, biological and economical source for the social community in every country throughout the world. Besides, forest also plays another essential role which it serves as a valuable carbon sink by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing the carbon in a long-term reservoir that contribute to the environmental quality as a whole. Degradation of environmental condition has become a serious issue faced by many countries today. The primary cause of this problem is related to human disturbance towards natural resources. Urbanisation requires lots of land clearing and deforestation for the development process. This situation is very relevant in a fast developed state like Selangor whereby its valuable forested areas are now under continuous development pressure. Therefore, the concern of this research is to assess the condition level of artificial and naturally regenerated forestry area in Forest Research Institute Malaysia Campus, consisting of 54 fields, to see how best it can contribute in balancing the ambient of air quality. For data collection, this research depends on a series of GIS database covering five criteria, namely slope, altitude, crown perimeter, tree height and carbon stock. These data were then analysed using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) through a composite score from eigenvalue of priority ratings and producing a composite map, which classified the site as the healthiest, moderately healthy and less healthy condition. The results indicate that most of the forested areas in FRIM campus lie under the category of healthiest condition with 45.5% in the area of 220.8 hectares whereby the key contributor is the carbon stock. Relating these criteria for ecosystem health will be beneficial toward monitoring forest change in landscapes, assisting in management and planning the urban development in any geographical setting.