T214 Intersections of Sustainability and Geosciences

Tuesday, 27 September 2016
1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Room 302

EVALUATING HUMAN-ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS TO THE KARST LANDSCAPE OF PHONG NHA-KE BANG NATIONAL PARK, VIETNAM USING A MODIFIED KARST DISTURBANCE INDEX METHODOLOGY

Paper number: T214-5
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 2:20 PM – 2:35 PM

Authors

Abstract

Karst environments are complex, interconnected landscapes vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts. The Karst Disturbance Index (KDI) is one method of evaluating the anthropogenic disturbances in a karst landscape using various data. The original KDI, proposed by van Beynen and Townsend (2005), consists of 30 environmental indicators contained within the five categories: geomorphology, hydrology, atmosphere, biota, and cultural. This research utilized both the original method of applying the KDI, as well as a modified method, which evaluates known disturbances rather than potential indicators of disturbance, to calculate a disturbance score for Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam. GIS was also used to calculate disturbance scores on multiple locations throughout the park, as opposed to a single score for the entire region. Based on collected data, karst disturbance scores range from 0.11 to 0.40 in the Park. Similar to findings of other KDI applications, a significant lack of data was noted with regard to cave and groundwater biota throughout the study area. Tourism was found to be a significant contributor to karst disturbance in the Park, with the likelihood of increased degradation likely as tourism continues to rise throughout the region.

Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 48, No. 7

doi: 10.1130/abs/2016AM-281312

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