Areas of the Abra River watershed, particularly near human settlements, show signs of declining ecological health

21 Apr 2026

The Abra River Basin and its associated watershed is one of the 18 major river systems in the country, flowing through several provinces and communities in Northern Luzon. Like many freshwater ecosystems in the world, the Abra River Basin and watershed faces various environmental threats such as land degradation and conversion, and climate change. This study focused on determining the ecological quality of the area of interest using available satellite images. With an array of ecological indices such as vegetation cover, land temperature, moisture, and the percentage of built-up areas, I created a quantitative metric called the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) to show how healthy or disturbed parts of the river basin and watershed are.

The findings highlighted that although portions of the Abra River watershed still exhibit good ecological quality, especially in areas of higher elevation, areas near human settlements show signs of declining ecological health and quality. This means that while the ecosystem is still healthy in many parts, human activity is influencing the health of the environment in a negative way.

This scholarly work is timely and apt because it uses modern tools to assess environmental changes without requiring environmental practitioners and scientists to be on the ground and conduct field-based assessments. It is a quick and cost-effective method that can be used by policy-makers, scientists, and stakeholders to preliminarily identify which areas within an ecosystem need conservation and protection measures and mechanisms. Ultimately, the study contributes to safeguarding the watershed’s capacity to provide the necessary ecosystem services for human communities. This work is not just a contribution to the growing body of literature on applied geospatial ecology but a significant input for policy work towards conserving and protecting our ecosystems and the delivery of ecosystem services that are crucial to human life.

The work is a novel application of the RSEI. Unlike traditional assessment methods that are often limited in scope, the study uses a desk-based approach by utilizing ecological indices obtained and derived from satellite imagery such as greenness (NDVI), dryness (NDBSI), heat (LST), and wetness (LSM). These ecological indicators are then used to generate the RSEI to quantify and visualize the health of a big ecosystem. This study provides a thorough understanding of the ecological quality and health of a watershed and its dynamic interactions with human activity, land use cover and change, and climatic variability by using remotely sensed satellite imagery that is openly accessible and available for scientific studies such as this. With the wide array of benefits from the ecosystem and the vulnerability to environmental decay of the area of interest, this work provides insights for a more strategic environmental management framework, climate change adaptation and mitigation planning, and sustainable natural resource management.

Author: Deign Frolley C. Soriano (Department of Biology, University of the Philippines Baguio | Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading)

Read the full paper: https://scienggj.org/2025-191/

Areas of the Abra River watershed, particularly near human settlements, show signs of declining ecological health

The Abra River Basin and its associated watershed is one of the 18 major river systems in the country, flowing through several provinces and communities in Northern Luzon. Like many freshwater ecosystems in the world, the Abra River Basin and watershed faces various environmental threats such as land degradation and conversion, and climate change. This study focused on determining the ecological quality of the area of interest using available satellite images. With an array of ecological indices such as vegetation cover, land temperature, moisture, and the percentage of built-up areas, I created a quantitative metric called the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) to show how healthy or disturbed parts of the river basin and watershed are.

The findings highlighted that although portions of the Abra River watershed still exhibit good ecological quality, especially in areas of higher elevation, areas near human settlements show signs of declining ecological health and quality. This means that while the ecosystem is still healthy in many parts, human activity is influencing the health of the environment in a negative way.

This scholarly work is timely and apt because it uses modern tools to assess environmental changes without requiring environmental practitioners and scientists to be on the ground and conduct field-based assessments. It is a quick and cost-effective method that can be used by policy-makers, scientists, and stakeholders to preliminarily identify which areas within an ecosystem need conservation and protection measures and mechanisms. Ultimately, the study contributes to safeguarding the watershed’s capacity to provide the necessary ecosystem services for human communities. This work is not just a contribution to the growing body of literature on applied geospatial ecology but a significant input for policy work towards conserving and protecting our ecosystems and the delivery of ecosystem services that are crucial to human life.

The work is a novel application of the RSEI. Unlike traditional assessment methods that are often limited in scope, the study uses a desk-based approach by utilizing ecological indices obtained and derived from satellite imagery such as greenness (NDVI), dryness (NDBSI), heat (LST), and wetness (LSM). These ecological indicators are then used to generate the RSEI to quantify and visualize the health of a big ecosystem. This study provides a thorough understanding of the ecological quality and health of a watershed and its dynamic interactions with human activity, land use cover and change, and climatic variability by using remotely sensed satellite imagery that is openly accessible and available for scientific studies such as this. With the wide array of benefits from the ecosystem and the vulnerability to environmental decay of the area of interest, this work provides insights for a more strategic environmental management framework, climate change adaptation and mitigation planning, and sustainable natural resource management.

Author: Deign Frolley C. Soriano (Department of Biology, University of the Philippines Baguio | Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading)

Read the full paper: https://scienggj.org/2025-191/