A treatment wetland park assessment model for evaluating urban ecosystem stability using analytical hierarchy process (AHP)

Abstract

The increased impervious and built-up urban areas threat ecosystem stability through major environmental problems, such as surface runoff, flooding, and wildlife habitat resource depletion. Hence, urban ecologists and planners are attempting to enhance the capacities of wetlands parks in urban ecosystem stabilization. They need an assessment tool to evaluate and quantify the performance of wetland parks on these issues, hereof this study has developed the Urban Wetland Park (UWP) index assessment model. The research conducted three phases; the requirement study to identify the features of wetland park design, formulating index model using Analytical Hierarchy Process method, and model validation using expert input. The UWP model identified eighteen features clustered into three criteria and fifteen sub-criteria and then determined the weights of features. For model validation, the UWP model was applied in Putrajaya wetland park. The UWP resulted with grade B (Good) for Putrajaya wetland park. It means the Putrajaya wetland park performs well in ecosystem stabilization, although the experts recommended few minor improvements regarding site selection (WC1.1.= 0.588), multi-cell and multi-stage design (WC1.5.= 0.604), depth proportion (WC1.6.= 0.652), and biodiversity (WC2.1.= 0.691). Study proposed the UWP as a universal decision support tool to help urban authorities, urban planners and ecologists to assess the ecosystem stabilization of wetland parks.