Assessing Environmental Sensitivity Areas to Desertification using MEDALUS Model in Ziz-Rheris Watershed, Morocco.

R. Ouachoua¹ , J. Al Karkouri²

Section:Research Paper, Product Type: Journal-Paper
Vol.6 , Issue.8 , pp.18-26, Aug-2020

Online published on Aug 31, 2020

Copyright © R. Ouachoua, J. Al Karkouri . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 

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Abstract :
In Morocco, the process of desertification affects large areas and over 90 % of the lands are classified as desertified areas to a greater or lesser extent. The Ziz-Rh?ris watershed (Southeastern Morocco) has experienced a considerable increase in desertification process in recent years, especially in oasis zones. This problem constitutes an obstacle to the development of the region caused by the disappearance of oases, which accentuates the phenomenon of rural exodus. The objective of this work is the spatial and quantitative assessment of the sensitivity of desertification in the basin. GIS and remote sensing tools were used to develop a sensitivity to desertification map according to the MEDALUS model. The mapping of the desertification sensitivity indicator is based on a weighted combination of four major desertification indicators, namely: the vegetation quality indicator (VQI), the soil quality indicator (SQI), the climate indicator (CQI) and the land management quality (MQI). Results indicated that only 19.59% of the sites in the study were classified as moderate sensitive to desertification; and 78.30% were classified as highly sensitive areas. Findings also showed that climate and human pressure factors are the most important indicators affecting desertification sensitivity in the Ziz-Rheris watershed

Key-Words / Index Term :
Desertification, Oasis, GIS, Remote Sensing, MEDALUS, Ziz-Rheris

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