Assessment of Watershed Carrying Capacity for the Aesesa Flores Watershed Management, East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia

Abstract

The Aesesa Flores (AF) watershed has an important role for the community in the district of Ngada and Nagekeo, East Nusa Tenggara Province of Indonesia. However, in recent years, over exploitation of natural resources in the AF watershed has caused severe land degradation in the region. This study analyzed the carrying capacity of the AF watershed. The assessment of the AF watershed carrying capacity in this study was done according to the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry Regulation Number P.61/2014 that regulates the monitoring and evaluation of watershed management. The main objectives of this study were to assess the carrying capacity of the AF watershed, and evaluate the suitability of the aforementioned regulation to its condition. The results of carrying capacity analysis showed that the upstream region of the AF watershed was categorized to have a low carrying capacity condition, while both the middle and downstream region of the watershed were categorized to have a moderate carrying capacity condition. These results indicated that there was a need to prioritize the rehabilitation and land management in the upstream region of the AF watershed, in order to improve its condition.

Keywords

• Land resources
• Water resources
• Community engagement
• Natural resources management