Desertification Assessment Using MEDALUS Model in Watershed Oued El Maleh, Morocco
Along with being a dynamic process that affects large areas, desertification is also one of the most serious problems in many countries. The effects of this phenomenon threaten the sustainability of natural resources, namely water resources, agricultural production and major basic infrastructure, sp...
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doaj-23bd544bff724afeb7704d12ceb7834c2020-11-25T02:29:16ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632017-07-01735010.3390/geosciences7030050geosciences7030050Desertification Assessment Using MEDALUS Model in Watershed Oued El Maleh, MoroccoHicham Lahlaoi0Hassan Rhinane1Atika Hilali2Said Lahssini3Said Moukrim4Geosciences Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences Ain Chock, Hassan II University, Casablanca 20000, MoroccoGeosciences Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences Ain Chock, Hassan II University, Casablanca 20000, MoroccoGeosciences Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences Ain Chock, Hassan II University, Casablanca 20000, MoroccoNational School of Forestry Engineering, Salé 11000, MoroccoBotany, Mycology and Environment Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, B.P. 1014 RP, Rabat 10090, MoroccoAlong with being a dynamic process that affects large areas, desertification is also one of the most serious problems in many countries. The effects of this phenomenon threaten the sustainability of natural resources, namely water resources, agricultural production and major basic infrastructure, specifically roads and habitations. Several factors exacerbate this phenomenon such as the climate dryness, the geological and morphological characteristics of the terrain, the irrational use of space, population growth and the over-exploitation of vegetation and water resources. This work aims to evaluate the desertification index in the Oued-El-Maleh watershed, through the integration of key factors involved in the MEDALUS model (Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use) within a GIS. The model includes among its indexes: climate, vegetation, soil and management. Each index was obtained by the combination of sub-indexes. All the factors, measured and integrated into a geographic information system, enabled us to spatialize, on a synthetic map, the degree of the desertification effect throughout the watershed. This map is a managing tool available for decision-making regarding the selection of priority areas in the fight against desertification. High sensitivity to desertification class represents only 35% of the watershed. This class is concentrated in the north of the study area that corresponds to plains and low altitude. This could be explained by the dominance of agro-pastoral activity and the presence of a big population pressure.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/7/3/50desertificationpopulation pressureGISMEDALUS |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Hicham Lahlaoi Hassan Rhinane Atika Hilali Said Lahssini Said Moukrim |
spellingShingle |
Hicham Lahlaoi Hassan Rhinane Atika Hilali Said Lahssini Said Moukrim Desertification Assessment Using MEDALUS Model in Watershed Oued El Maleh, Morocco Geosciences desertification population pressure GIS MEDALUS |
author_facet |
Hicham Lahlaoi Hassan Rhinane Atika Hilali Said Lahssini Said Moukrim |
author_sort |
Hicham Lahlaoi |
title |
Desertification Assessment Using MEDALUS Model in Watershed Oued El Maleh, Morocco |
title_short |
Desertification Assessment Using MEDALUS Model in Watershed Oued El Maleh, Morocco |
title_full |
Desertification Assessment Using MEDALUS Model in Watershed Oued El Maleh, Morocco |
title_fullStr |
Desertification Assessment Using MEDALUS Model in Watershed Oued El Maleh, Morocco |
title_full_unstemmed |
Desertification Assessment Using MEDALUS Model in Watershed Oued El Maleh, Morocco |
title_sort |
desertification assessment using medalus model in watershed oued el maleh, morocco |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Geosciences |
issn |
2076-3263 |
publishDate |
2017-07-01 |
description |
Along with being a dynamic process that affects large areas, desertification is also one of the most serious problems in many countries. The effects of this phenomenon threaten the sustainability of natural resources, namely water resources, agricultural production and major basic infrastructure, specifically roads and habitations. Several factors exacerbate this phenomenon such as the climate dryness, the geological and morphological characteristics of the terrain, the irrational use of space, population growth and the over-exploitation of vegetation and water resources. This work aims to evaluate the desertification index in the Oued-El-Maleh watershed, through the integration of key factors involved in the MEDALUS model (Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use) within a GIS. The model includes among its indexes: climate, vegetation, soil and management. Each index was obtained by the combination of sub-indexes. All the factors, measured and integrated into a geographic information system, enabled us to spatialize, on a synthetic map, the degree of the desertification effect throughout the watershed. This map is a managing tool available for decision-making regarding the selection of priority areas in the fight against desertification. High sensitivity to desertification class represents only 35% of the watershed. This class is concentrated in the north of the study area that corresponds to plains and low altitude. This could be explained by the dominance of agro-pastoral activity and the presence of a big population pressure. |
topic |
desertification population pressure GIS MEDALUS |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/7/3/50 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT hichamlahlaoi desertificationassessmentusingmedalusmodelinwatershedouedelmalehmorocco AT hassanrhinane desertificationassessmentusingmedalusmodelinwatershedouedelmalehmorocco AT atikahilali desertificationassessmentusingmedalusmodelinwatershedouedelmalehmorocco AT saidlahssini desertificationassessmentusingmedalusmodelinwatershedouedelmalehmorocco AT saidmoukrim desertificationassessmentusingmedalusmodelinwatershedouedelmalehmorocco |
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