GIS-Based Watershed Prioritization for Sustainable Land Management in Indonesia

Abstract

Accelerated land degradation and increasing watershed vulnerability threaten sustainable natural resource management across Indonesia. Identifying priority areas for conservation is therefore essential to improve watershed resilience and ecosystem services. This study develops a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based watershed prioritization framework by integrating morphometric characteristics, land use, vegetation cover, soil erosion susceptibility, rainfall intensity, and topographic parameters. Multi-criteria decision analysis was applied to classify watershed sub-basins according to their environmental sensitivity and restoration priority. The analysis identified several critical sub-watersheds characterized by severe land degradation, high erosion risk, and declining vegetation cover. The prioritization model effectively distinguished areas requiring immediate intervention from relatively stable landscapes. Results further demonstrate that integrating spatial analysis with environmental indicators provides an efficient decision-support tool for sustainable land management planning. The proposed framework can assist government agencies in allocating restoration resources more efficiently while supporting ecosystem conservation and reducing downstream flood and sedimentation risks. The study contributes to improved watershed governance through evidence-based spatial planning and offers a transferable methodology applicable to other tropical regions experiencing similar environmental challenges.