ASSESSING WATER QUALITY INDEX IN RIVER BASIN : FUZZY INFERENCE SYSTEM APPROACH

Water Quality Index is an important water assessment that sustain and conserve the aquatic ecosystem. In Malaysia, the current classi ication practice on Department of Environmental Water Quality Index (DOE WQI) shows rigid value in term of assessing the input of parameters that close to a class boundary. Hence, this study proposed a technique to assess the parameters in a holistic manner by using the Fuzzy Inference System (FIS). The approach as an assessment tool represents the classes of various ranges and aggregating the parameters using membership function and Centroid Function respectively. A numerical example based on actual data from one of the sampling station from Inanam Likas River Basin was adapted in this study. It was adapted to demonstrate the proposed approach. Findings shown using the proposed methods indicate that the river has Poor water status. Overall, FIS is able to assess the parameters and execute into a single index that represent the condition from poor to excellent scales of the water qualit

Understanding forest degradation - a review of forest structure indicators

Forest degradation has profoundly impacted the forest structure which has affected the carbon stock, biodiversity, microclimate and function of the ecosystem. This consequently reduces the forest’s capacity in providing goods and services. Forest degradation is typically a multi-stage anthropological process that develops gradually but might be accelerated by phenomena such as forest fires, storms, landslides, or floods. Hence, identification of site-specific forest degradation is crucial in the forest management system. Unlike deforestation, estimating the carbon emission from forest degradation is challenging due to the difficulty in defining the motive of degradation itself. Under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation-plus (REDD+) framework, it is important to measure the changes in forest structure. This study discusses a few related forest structure indicators in assessing forest degradation such as the canopy cover, aboveground biomass and stand structure. To understand forest degradation, it is necessary to understand the forest structure indicators which could contribute to establishing a better forest management system