Sensitivity Analysis of the Effect of Soil Ecological Quality Information in Selecting Eco-Friendly Road Route

Soil ecology has important roles in global ecosystems. However, soil ecological quality information is being ignored when assessing ecological impact of construction actions. And methods for classifying and assessing soil ecological quality have been very little established in comparison to those for animal and plant ecosystems. In this study, it was examined whether soil ecological quality information has influence on determining an eco-friendly route for a road construction project. For this, sensitivity analysis was systematically performed by varying the relative significance (weights) of soil ecological quality information among natural environmental and ecological factors. When the weight of soil ecological quality was greater than just 14%, the soil ecological quality information significantly influenced the determination of the eco-friendly routes for a specific road construction project. This demonstrates that soil ecological quality information has to be considered for more reliable environmental impact assessment, and also supports the validity of use of soil ecological quality information and its mapping technique in planning and siting of eco-friendly construction projects. Key word : Soil ecological quality, Microbial diversity, Ecological information technology, Environmental GIS, Artifi