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Spectral Angle Mapper Approach (SAM) for Land Degradation Mapping: A Case Study of the Oued Lahdar Watershed in the Pre-Rif Region (Morocco)

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Natural Resources Deterioration in MENA Region

Part of the book series: Earth and Environmental Sciences Library ((EESL))

Abstract

Land degradation is a complex and widespread environmental issue with significant implications for global sustainability. It encompasses various processes that negatively impact soil health and support productive ecosystems and human livelihoods. This chapter focused on mapping land use/land cover (LULC) and identifying land degradation features using Sentinel-2 imagery and the Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) approach. The primary objective was to gain insight into the spatial distribution of land degradation within the study area. The step-by-step supervised classification process involved data preparation, training data collection, feature selection, SAM classification, and post-classification processing. An accuracy assessment was conducted to validate the results and ensure the reliability of the land cover map. As a result of the different LULC classifications in the research area, the arboriculture class represented 18% of the study area. In contrast, the agriculture class showed coverage of 27%, followed by the forest class occupying 22% of the catchment area, and the bare soil class representing 33% of the total study area. The combination of substantial proportions of bare soil (33%) and agriculture (27%) suggested that a large portion of the landscape may be susceptible to land degradation if appropriate measures are not implemented. The derived LULC map is a valuable resource for environmental monitoring, ecosystem conservation, and land use planning. Policymakers, researchers, and stakeholders can use this information to make informed decisions for sustainable land management, protect natural resources, and mitigate the impact of land degradation.

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Data Availability Statement

The data presented in this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geophysics and Natural Hazards Laboratory, Department of Geomorphology and Geomatics (D2G), Scientific Institute, Mohammed V University in Rabat, Avenue Ibn Batouta, Agdal, P.O. Box 703, 10106, Rabat City, Morocco

    Brahim Benzougagh, Mohammed El Brahimi & Latifa Ladel

  2. Petroleum and Mining Engineering Department, Tishk International University, Erbil, 44001, Iraq

    Ayad M. Fadhil Al-Quraishi

  3. Department of Geology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Laboratory of Geo-Resources, Geo-Environment and Civil Engineering (L3G), Cadi Ayad University, Marrakech, Morocco

    Youssef Bammou

  4. School of Engineering and Built Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, 4111, Australia

    Shuraik Kader

  5. Green Infrastructure Research Labs (GIRLS), Cities Research Institute, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD, 4215, Australia

    Shuraik Kader

  6. Laboratory for Applied and Marine Geosciences, Geotechnics and Geohazards (LR3G), Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, University Abdelamlek Essaâdi, Tetouan, Morocco

    Driss Sadkaoui

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  1. Brahim Benzougagh
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  2. Ayad M. Fadhil Al-Quraishi
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  3. Youssef Bammou
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  4. Shuraik Kader
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  5. Mohammed El Brahimi
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  6. Driss Sadkaoui
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  7. Latifa Ladel
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Correspondence to Brahim Benzougagh .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Petroleum and Mining Engineering Department, Tishk International University (TIU), Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

    Ayad M. Fadhil Al-Quraishi

  2. Environmental Science Department, University of Zakho, Zakho, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

    Yaseen T. Mustafa

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Benzougagh, B. et al. (2024). Spectral Angle Mapper Approach (SAM) for Land Degradation Mapping: A Case Study of the Oued Lahdar Watershed in the Pre-Rif Region (Morocco). In: Al-Quraishi, A.M.F., Mustafa, Y.T. (eds) Natural Resources Deterioration in MENA Region. Earth and Environmental Sciences Library. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-58315-5_2

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