Assessment of the environmental flow and habitat of the river ecosystem through ecosystem function model

Rivers have been damaged due to rapid urbanization, and river management has been carried out focusing on flow and flood control functions. Recently, interest in river restoration, emphasizing the environmental aspects of rivers, is increasing, but the beginning of river restoration requires an appropriate evaluation of the environmental flow required for the ecosystem. This study analyzed the effects on the habitat of the river ecosystem by estimating the changes in flow regime and environmental flow following the construction of the Buhang dam in Gamcheon, the first tributary of the Nakdong River. To evaluate the environmental flow, the dominant species of Gamcheon, Zacco Platypus, and the protected species Squalidus gracilis majime, and riparian vegetation were selected, and the environmental flow was calculated using the HEC-EFM (Ecosystem Function Model). The evaluated environmental flow was linked with hydraulic analysis and GIS platform, and habitat area change and habitat connectivity analysis before and after dam construction were performed by spatial habitat analysis in the river. Based on the results of this study, it can be used as a river restoration project and a dam operation plan considering the river environment through the calculation of environmental flow and habitat connectivity analysis to improve the habitat of the river ecosystem.