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Application of GIS and Remote Sensing for Assessing Watershed Ponds for Aquaculture development in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam.

Fourteen base layers (thematic maps) were used in the study and grouped into 4 main land use requirements for aquaculture: (1) potential for pond construction (slope, land use types, soil thickness, and elevation); (2) soil quality (soil types, soil texture, and soil pH); (3) water availability (distance to water, water sources, and precipitation); and (4) geographical and social economic status (distance to roads, population density, distance to local markets, and distance to hatcheries) (Table 1). Slope, elevation, soil type, soil thickness, precipitation, and local market centers and hatchery locations data were extracted from the digital topographic map of Dai Tu (1:25,000) (Vietnam Cartographic Publishing House, 1999). Land use types, roads, and hydrological systems data were taken from the topographic map and updated with SPOT satellite imagery acquired for 9 November 2002. Soil pH and soil texture were collected during the survey and extracted from soil information in Vietnam (Agriculture Publishing House, 2000). Population density data were taken from Statistical Yearbook of Thai Nguyen (Thai Nguyen Statistics Department, 2002).

Table 1: Land characteristics and rating rules used for assessing watershed pond for aquaculture development

Parameters Suitability rating and score
Highly suitable a Suitable b Marginally suitable c Not suitable d
(4) (3) (2) (1)
Potential for pond construction    
  Slope < 5 >5 – 15 >15 – 25 > 25
  Land use types Paddy field Resident land, Unused land, Water body Agriculture land, Brushwood Planted and natural forest, Tea plants
  Soil thickness (cm) >100 50-100 <50 ----
  Elevation (m) <100 100-500 >500-1000 >1000
       
Soil quality      
  Soil types (FAO systems) Fluviols Haplic acrisols Haplic calcisols Humic Ferralsols, Rhodic ferralsols
  Soil pH 6-7 5-6 4-5 or 7-8 <4 or >8
  Soil texture (% clay) >35 18-35 <18 ----
         
Water availability        
  Distance to water body (m) <500 500-1000 >1000-2000 >2000
  Water sources Irrigation Rain-fed ---- ----
  Precipitation (mm/year) 1500-2500 >2500 <1500 ----
       
Geographical and social economic      
  Distance to road (m) <500 500-1000 1000-2000 >2000
  Population density (people/km2) >600 300-600 200-300 <200
  Distance to local market (m) <1000 1000-2000 2000-3000 >3000
  Distance to hatchery (m) <5000 5000-10000 >10000 ----
  1. The highly suitable (HS = 4) level provides a situation in which minimum time or investment is required in order to develop fish farming.
  2. For a level classified as suitable (S = 3), modest time and investment are required.
  3. Marginally suitable (MS = 2), significant interventions may required before fish farming operations can be conducted.
  4. The suitability level is not suitable (NS = 1), the time or cost, or both, are too great to be worthwhile for fish farming.


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