Ecological Monitoring in Tropical Rivers: An IoT-Based System for Real-Time Water Quality Assessment and Ecosystem Protection

Authors

  • Tien Zubaidah

    Environmental Departement, Poltekkes Kemenkes Banjarmasin, Mistar Cokrokusumo Str 1A, Banjarbaru 70714, Indonesia
  • Sulaiman Hamzani

    Environmental Departement, Poltekkes Kemenkes Banjarmasin, Mistar Cokrokusumo Str 1A, Banjarbaru 70714, Indonesia
  • Kresna Dinta Masmitra

    PT. Air Minum Intan Banjar (PERSERODA), Pangeran Hidayatullah Str 24, Banjarbaru 70711, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v7i4.10252
Received: 29 May 2025 | Revised: 6 June 2025 | Accepted: 12 June 2025 | Published Online: 17 September 2025

Abstract

Tropical river ecosystems are increasingly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures, yet conventional monitoring methods remain inadequate to capture the rapid and complex ecological changes needed for effective conservation. This study presents "Smart River Watch," a low-cost, IoT-based ecological monitoring system designed for real-time assessment of key water quality parameters—temperature, pH, and turbidity—in tropical river environments. The system combines Arduino Mega microcontrollers and high-precision sensors with ESP32 WiFi for continuous data transmission to cloud and mobile platforms. Field deployment across five ecologically distinct sites along Indonesia’s Martapura River demonstrated strong performance, achieving exceptional accuracy (r > 0.99; error < 2%) compared to laboratory methods, a 98.7% transmission success rate, and 23.4-hour operational autonomy. The innovation of this research lies in bridging technological accessibility with ecological needs: enabling high-frequency, real-time monitoring that supports early pollution detection, enhances ecological insight, and empowers local communities through user-friendly mobile interfaces. The cost-effectiveness, rapid deployment (15 minutes per site), and community-based usability of the system make it a scalable solution for biodiversity protection and adaptive water resource management in developing regions. These findings highlight a paradigm shift in ecological monitoring—merging digital innovation with ecosystem stewardship to better protect freshwater biodiversity in the face of accelerating environmental change.

Keywords:

Ecological Monitoring; Tropical River Ecosystem; IoT-Based Sensing; Anthropogenic Impacts; CommunityBased Monitoring

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How to Cite

Zubaidah, T., Hamzani, S., & Masmitra, K. D. (2025). Ecological Monitoring in Tropical Rivers: An IoT-Based System for Real-Time Water Quality Assessment and Ecosystem Protection. Research in Ecology, 7(4), 142–156. https://doi.org/10.30564/re.v7i4.10252

Issue

Vol. 7, Iss. 4 (October 2025)(in progress)

Article Type

Article

License

Copyright © 2025 Tien Zubaidah, Sulaiman Hamzani, Kresna Dinta Masmitra

Creative Commons License

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) License.

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