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Published on: December 9, 2012
Selecting suitable sites for animal waste application using a raster GIS.
B B Basnet1, A A Apan, S R Raine
1Faculty of Engineering and Surveying, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Queensland 4350, Australia.
Environmental Management
|August 9, 2001
Summary
This study developed a GIS-based method to identify safe agricultural land for animal waste fertilizer application in the Murray Darling Basin. Only 16% of the Westbrook subcatchment is suitable, highlighting land use constraints for sustainable waste management.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Agricultural Science
- Geographic Information Systems
Background:
- Intensive animal industries generate substantial waste, posing environmental risks in the Murray Darling Basin.
- Sustainable management of animal waste is crucial for mitigating environmental pollution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and apply a GIS-based weighted linear combination (WLC) model for selecting safe sites for animal waste application as fertilizer.
- To create a site suitability map for the Westbrook subcatchment within the Murray Darling Basin.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a geographic information system (GIS) with a weighted linear combination (WLC) model.
- Employed the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) with an objectives-oriented comparison (OOC) technique for factor weighting.
- Acquired and preprocessed digital datasets from 1:50,000 scale maps.
Main Results:
- Identified only 16% of the Westbrook subcatchment as suitable for animal waste application due to non-agricultural and residential areas.
- Demonstrated that the extent of suitable land depends on input factor constraints.
- Showed that the degree of suitability is primarily determined by the distribution of factor weights.
Conclusions:
- The GIS-WLC-AHP model provides a systematic approach for sustainable animal waste management.
- Site suitability is significantly influenced by land use patterns and the weighting of environmental factors.
- Effective planning is needed to balance agricultural needs with environmental protection in waste application.
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