EVALUATING HUMAN-ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS TO THE KARST LANDSCAPE OF PHONG NHA-KE BANG NATIONAL PARK, VIETNAM USING A MODIFIED KARST DISTURBANCE INDEX METHODOLOGY

Karst environments are complex, interconnected landscapes vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts. The Karst Disturbance Index (KDI) is one method of evaluating the anthropogenic disturbances in a karst landscape using various data. The original KDI, proposed by van Beynen and Townsend (2005), consists of 30 environmental indicators contained within the five categories: geomorphology, hydrology, atmosphere, biota, and cultural. This research utilized both the original method of applying the KDI, as well as a modified method, which evaluates known disturbances rather than potential indicators of disturbance, to calculate a disturbance score for Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam. GIS was also used to calculate disturbance scores on multiple locations throughout the park, as opposed to a single score for the entire region. Based on collected data, karst disturbance scores range from 0.11 to 0.40 in the Park. Similar to findings of other KDI applications, a significant lack of data was noted with regard to cave and groundwater biota throughout the study area. Tourism was found to be a significant contributor to karst disturbance in the Park, with the likelihood of increased degradation likely as tourism continues to rise throughout the region.