Identification of the potential dam site of bungoh catchment by accessing ecosystem loss impactscore and ecosystem fragmentation impactscore using the rarity and viability v

Bungoh catchment which is a segment of Sarawak Kiri River catchment areas is located in latitude between 1.184° to 1.296° N and in longitude between 110.106° to 110.242° E and 60 km from Kuching, the capital of Sarawak, Malaysia. The catchment covers an area of approximately 127 square kilometres. The altitude ranges from 20m to 1300 m a.s.l. The construction of dams at the catchment area leads to the ecosystem loss and ecosystem fragmentation. In this study, the overall impact caused by ecosystem loss is quantified by estimating the rarity of the ecosystem types based on the species of vegetation and multiplying the value of the of each ecosystem type for each predicted area loss for all the alternatives. The use of rarity criterion for the ecological evaluation resides in the fact that the rarer is a feature, the higher is its probability of disappearance. Three patch indicators encompass the core area; isolation and disturbance reused to measure ecosystem viability which is used to determine the ecosystem fragmentation impact score. The impact analysis carried out in this study which generates the ecosystem-loss impact scores and ecosystem-fragmentation impact scores of the proposed dam site and gives a clear picture on which alternative to be considered as one of the most appropriate site for the proposed dam project.