Land suitability assessment in climate change and sea level rise conditions in Thai Binh province with GIS-ALES integration model

Abstract

Land suitability assessment is the scientific basis for rational land use planning. This assessment process relates to natural soil conditions (soil, topography, climate, hydrology, etc.). However, these factors are being changed due to the impacts of climate change and sea level rise, especially in coastal areas (saline intrusion, inundation), which should be included in the assessment. The results of applying the integrated GIS-ALES model for land suitability assessment in climate change and sea level rise in Thai Binh province, showed that the very suitable (S1) and suitable (S2) land area for rice cultivation, aquaculture, crops, and perennial crops (mainly fruit trees) were 92,818.5 ha, 34,518.6 ha, 27,424.9 ha, and 13,104.1 ha respectively. The spatial distribution of the appropriate grades was also shown on a 1/50,000 scale map. The results of this study help to orient planning the rational use of agricultural land for Thai Binh province.