ANALYSIS OF AREAS THAT HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE DEVELOPED INTO GREEN AREAS OF THE EASTERN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR

Abstract

This study aims to analyze land use changes in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) between 2013, 2016, 2018, and 2021 to identify potential areas for green space development, thereby supporting efforts to mitigate air, social, and environmental pollution in the EEC region. This study shows that between 2013 and 2021, agricultural land use was the highest compared to other land uses. However, over the 8-year period, there has been a continuous decline in agricultural land due to economic growth, urbanization, and the promotion of the Eastern Economic Corridor. Conversely, urban and built-up areas have shown a continuous increase. To analyze areas with potential for green space development, a hierarchical analysis process (AHP) was used to prioritize criteria and assign weights to primary and secondary criteria in calculating a consistency index. Key findings of this research, Community and built-up areas have shown a continuous upward trend. The main criteria with the highest average importance weight were land use and built-up areas. The three most important sub-criteria within this category were: HUM1-Land use data for abandoned areas with unspecified use (33.3%), The next most important main criteria were the environment, with the most important sub-criteria were ENV1-Water resources (32.5%). The most important social criteria were SOC1-Culture and landmark (5.7%). These areas can be classified into five types with a total area of 379,430 rai. The total greenhouse gas sequestration capacity of these areas is estimated to be 5.6 million tCO₂-eq/year. The areas can support spatial development as community forests under the assumption of greenhouse gas sequestration of 15 tons of carbon dioxide per rai.