<![CDATA[The Wai Heru Watershed in Ambon City is experiencing increasing environmental pressures that require an integrated assessment of watershed performance and management priorities. This study assessed the performance and carrying capacity of the Wai Heru Watershed and formulated sustainable management strategies to support evidence-based watershed management. The study was conducted in Waiheru Village, Ambon City, Indonesia, covering approximately 764.68 ha. Watershed performance was evaluated using the monitoring and evaluation indicators prescribed in Regulation of the Minister of Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia No. P.61/Menhut-II/2014, encompassing land condition, hydrological condition, socioeconomic aspects, water infrastructure investment, and spatial utilization. The resulting performance score was subsequently integrated with a SWOT analysis to identify internal strengths and weaknesses and external opportunities and threats and to determine strategic management priorities. The results showed that the Wai Heru Watershed obtained an overall performance score of 113.25, classifying its watershed carrying-capacity performance as poor and indicating the need for prioritized management intervention. The SWOT analysis positioned watershed management in Quadrant III, corresponding to a WO or turn-around strategy in which external opportunities are mobilized to address dominant internal weaknesses. Priority interventions include rehabilitation of degraded and critical land, enhancement of permanent vegetation cover, strengthening of soil and water conservation measures, improved land-use control and institutional coordination, and increased participation of farmer groups and local communities. These findings provide an integrated scientific and policy-relevant basis for improving watershed resilience and advancing sustainable management of urban watersheds in small-island environments.]]>
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