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Mapping the way to wetland conservation: A geomatic approach for the Oran region

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Abstract

Wetlands, like any other ecosystem, have important characteristics (hydrology, soil, vegetation) that distinguish them from other ecosystems and allow them to provide vital habitats for insects, fish, birds, and other wildlife. Wetlands in the Wilaya of Oran, Algeria, include the Great Sebkha, the marshes of Macta, Lake Telamine, and the salt pans of Arzew, all known for their rich diversity of fauna and flora, are known worldwide for their ecological importance. The objective of this work is to develop an operational geomatic approach for the delineation, evaluation and use of information on North African wetlands. The Digital Atlas made it possible to highlight another aspect of this significant diversity of wetlands in western Algeria, through a new technique for presenting the results used in a web mapping. In the context of global changes driving a steep erosion of biodiversity, this study shows the importance of wetlands in western Algeria and allows citizens to learn about the richness, beauty and extent of their natural heritage. It contributes to public awareness and provides a valuable assessment and evaluation tool available to decision makers and professionals in the field of nature management and conservation. The findings of this study demonstrate, among other things, that considerable scientific advances of a practical kind may be made in the field of remote sensing. These can potentially be linked to managers' needs for tools to inventory and delineate wetlands and to monitor wetland development and conservation status. The Digital Atlas made it possible to discover another aspect of the consequent diversity of North African wetlands, through a new technique of presenting results in the context of web mapping.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Algerian space agency for all the help and the means provided during the realization of this study and a big thank to Dr. Boudjéma samraoui professor in university of Annaba—Algeria, for all the help and guidance in preparing the manuscript.

Funding

The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Observation, Center of Space Techniques, Algerian Space Agency, Oran, Algeria

    Berrichi Faouzi, Chamakhi Djemoui & Benshila Naima

Authors
  1. Berrichi Faouzi
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  2. Chamakhi Djemoui
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  3. Benshila Naima
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Contributions

Berrichi Faouzi is the primary author, Definition of the adopted methodology, realization of methods for delimiting wetlands and creation of digital Atlas of wetland in the Oran region, processing of satellite images in order to extract geospatial data on wetlands and writing of the manuscript.

Chamakhi Djemoui has carried out studies of the physical environment of the study area and helped write the manuscript.

Benshila Naima developed the cartographic interface of the Digital Atlas of Wetlands of the Oran region.

All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Berrichi Faouzi.

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Faouzi, B., Djemoui, C. & Naima, B. Mapping the way to wetland conservation: A geomatic approach for the Oran region. Wetlands 44, 31 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-024-01782-y

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