J. For. Sci., 2024, 70(3):122-134 | DOI: 10.17221/86/2023-JFS

Detecting land use/land cover changes and forest degradation: A case study of the lower Soummam valley, northern AlgeriaOriginal Paper

Megdouda Smail1, Zoubir Boubaker1, Mohamed Sbabdji2, Habib Mouaissa3, Bimare Kombate4
1 Conservation, Management and Improvement of Forest Ecosystems Laboratory, National Higher Agronomic School, El Harrach, Algeria
2 National Institute of Forest Research (INRF), El Hammamet, Algeria
3 Agricultural Sciences Department, Faculty of Natural Sciences and Life, Ziane Achour University of Djelfa, Djelfa, Algeria
4 Botany and Plant Ecology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lomé, Lomé, Togo

The environment is characterised by subtle and major mutations that cause changes in land use/land cover. Analysis of its dynamics and identification of vulnerable areas are critical to maintaining ecosystem services. The aim of this research is to quantify and qualify land cover dynamics over a 30-year period. It will also highlight forest degradation from a supervised classification of Landsat satellite imagery (L5 TM1987, L7 ETM+ 2000, and L8 OLI/TIRS 2019). The dynamics of land use/land cover were investigated by a maximum likelihood approach using geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing (RS). Six major land use and land cover (LULC) types were mapped (build-up, agriculture, forest, clearing, matorral and olive cultivation). The classification reports made it possible to assess a reduction in forest cover (from 14 470.11 ha to 5 203.26 ha) and an increase in buildings (from 6 033.69 ha to 9 515.61 ha), and agricultural land (from 9 517.59 ha to 12 338.19 ha). The results were validated by a kappa coefficient of 0.93, 0.91, and 0.96, which showed that the model had successfully predicted LULC changes. We anticipate that the results will provide a basis for decision-making as well as a starting point for further in-depth studies in sustainable management and development of natural resources in the study region.

Keywords: change detection; deforestation; dynamics; geographic information system (GIS) remote sensing

Received: July 23, 2023; Revised: November 22, 2023; Accepted: December 18, 2023; Prepublished online: March 11, 2024; Published: March 27, 2024  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Smail M, Boubaker Z, Sbabdji M, Mouaissa H, Kombate B. Detecting land use/land cover changes and forest degradation: A case study of the lower Soummam valley, northern Algeria. J. For. Sci. 2024;70(3):122-134. doi: 10.17221/86/2023-JFS.
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Abadie J. (2018): Ecologie historique des forêts méditerranéennes: Déterminants du changement du couvert forestier et effets des usages passés sur les sols et la flore actuels. [Ph.D. Thesis.] Marseille, Aix-Marseille University. (in French)
    2. Akubia J.E.K., Ahmed A., Bruns A. (2020): Assessing how land-cover change associated with urbanisation affects ecological sustainability in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area, Ghana. Land, 6: 182. Go to original source...
    3. Amrouni Y., Berrayah M., Gelabert P., Vega-Garcia C., Hellal B., Rodrigues M. (2022): Recent land cover trends in the transition region of Tiaret, Algeria. Catena, 210: 105861. Go to original source...
    4. Ayele A.H., Aga A.O., Belayneh L., Wanjala T.W. (2023): Hydrological responses to land use/land cover changes in Koga watershed, upper Blue Nile, Ethiopia. Geographies, 3: 60-81. Go to original source...
    5. Baeza S., Paruelo J.M. (2020): Land use/land cover change (2000-2014) in the Rio de la Plata grasslands: An analysis based on MODIS NDVI time series. Remote Sensing, 12: 381. Go to original source...
    6. Bamba I., Munyemba K.F., Defourny P., Vancutsem C., Ngongo L.M., Bogaert J. (2008): Analyse de la structure spatiale des forêts au Katanga. Annales de la Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques de l'Université de Lubumbashi, 2: 12. (in French)
    7. Barau S.A., Qureshi S. (2015): Using agent-based modelling and landscape metrics to assess landscape fragmentation in Iskandar Malaysia. Ecological Processes, 4: 8. Go to original source...
    8. Boulaassal H., Anaki S., Yazidi O.A., Maatouk M., Wahbi M. (2020): Cartographie des changements de l'occupation du sol entre 2002 et 2016 à partir des images Landsat. Cas de la région Tanger Tetouan Al-Hoceima (Maroc). African Journal on Land Policy and Geospatial Sciences, 3: 14-31. (in French)
    9. Byun Y.U., Chang E.C. (2020): Impact of land use land cover change on East Asia. In: 22nd EGU General Assembly Copernicus Meetings, held online, May 4-8, 2020. Go to original source...
    10. Chavez Jr. P.S. (1989): Radiometric calibration of Landsat Thematic Mapper multispectral images. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing, 9: 1285-1294.
    11. Chu D. (2020): Introduction. In: Chu D.: Remote Sensing of Land Use and Land Cover in Mountain Region. Singapore, Springer Singapore: 1-13. Go to original source...
    12. Congalton R.G. (1991): A review of assessing the accuracy of classifications of remotely sensed data. Remote Sensing of Environment, 1: 35-46. Go to original source...
    13. Dewan A.M., Yamaguchi Y. (2009): Using remote sensing and GIS to detect and monitor land use and land cover change in Dhaka Metropolitan of Bangladesh during 1960-2005. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 150: 237-249. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    14. Fang Z., Ding T., Chen J., Xue S., Zhou Q., Wang Y., Wang Y., Huang Z., Yang S. (2022): Impacts of land use/land cover changes on ecosystem services in ecologically fragile regions. Science of The Total Environment, 831: 154967. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    15. Fichera R.C., Modica G., Pollino M. (2012): Land cover classification and change-detection analysis using multi-temporal remote sensed imagery and landscape metrics. European Journal of Remote Sensing, 45: 1-18. Go to original source...
    16. Hakim F.L., Indarto I., Hidayah E., Cahyono B.E. (2023): Five decades of land use and land cover change in Bedadung watershed: Learning from Landsat data. AIP Publishing: AIP Conference Proceedings, 2583: 060007. Go to original source...
    17. Herzog F., Lausch A. (2001): Supplementing land-use statistics with landscape metrics: Some methodological considerations. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 72: 37-50. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Hind M., M'hammed S., Djamal A., Zoubida N. (2022): Assessment of land use-land cover changes using GIS, remote sensing, and CA-Markov model: A case study of Algiers, Algeria. Applied Geomatics, 14: 811-825. Go to original source...
    19. Huang H., Xue Y., Chilukoti N., Liu Y., Chen G., Diallo I. (2020): Assessing global and regional effects of reconstructed land-use and land-cover change on climate since 1950 using a coupled land-atmosphere-ocean model. Journal of Climate, 33: 8997-9013. Go to original source...
    20. Hussain S., Karuppannan S. (2023): Land use/land cover changes and their impact on land surface temperature using remote sensing technique in district Khanewal, Punjab Pakistan. Geology, Ecology, and Landscapes, 7: 46-58. Go to original source...
    21. Izakovièová Z., ©pulerová J., Petroviè F. (2018): Integrated approach to sustainable land use management. Environments, 5: 37. Go to original source...
    22. Ji Q., Liang W., Fu B., Zhang W., Yan J., Lü Y., Yue C., Jin Z., Lan Z., Li S., Yang P. (2021): Mapping land use/cover dynamics of the Yellow River basin from 1986 to 2018 supported by Google Earth Engine. Remote Sensing, 13: 1299. Go to original source...
    23. Juliev M., Pulatov A., Fuchs S., Hübl J. (2019): Analysis of land use land cover change detection of Bostanlik District, Uzbekistan. Polish Journal of Environmental Studies, 28: 3235-3242. Go to original source...
    24. Karnieli A., Qin Z., Wu B., Panov N., Yan F. (2014): Spatio-temporal dynamics of land-use and land-cover in the Mu Us sandy land, China, using the change vector analysis technique. Remote Sensing, 6: 9316-9339. Go to original source...
    25. Kilama L.J., Bamutaze Y., Mwanjalolo J.G.M., Waiswa D., Pilesjö P., Mukengere E.B. (2020): Impacts of land use and land cover change in response to different driving forces in Uganda: Evidence from a review. African Geographical Review, 40: 378-394. Go to original source...
    26. Lambin E.F., Turner B.L., Geist H.J., Agbola S.B., Angelsen A., Bruce J.W., Coomes O.T., Dirzo R., Fischer G., Folke C., George P.S., Homewood K., Imbernon J., Leemans R., Xiubin L., Moran E.F., Mortimore M., Ramakrishnan P.S., Richards J.F., Skånes H., Xu J. (2001): The causes of land-use and land-cover change: Moving beyond the myths. Global Environmental Change, 11: 261-269. Go to original source...
    27. Landsat Missions (2018): Landsat Normalized Difference Vegetation Index. Reston, USGS. Available at: https://www.usgs.gov/landsat-missions/landsat-normalized-difference-vegetation-index
    28. Long N., Leveiller T. (2016): Comment les politiques d'urbanisation se traduisent-elles dans le paysage urbain: Une approche par les métriques spatiales. VertigO, 16: 1-2. Available at: https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/vertigo/2016-v16-n2-vertigo02855/1038189ar/ (in French) Go to original source...
    29. Ma S., Wang L.J., Wang H.Y., Zhao Y.J., Jiang J. (2023): Impacts of land use/land cover and soil property changes on soil erosion in the black soil region, China. Journal of Environmental Management, 328: 117024. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    30. Mahdi M., Kheta K. (2020): Estimation de l'érosion hydrique des sols sur le sous bassin versant de Boussellam - Soummam. [MSc. Thesis.] M'sila, University of M'sila. (in French)
    31. Meddour-Sahar O., Bouisset C. (2013): Les grands incendies de forêt en Algérie : Problèmes humains et politiques publiques dans la gestion des risques. Méditerranée. Revue géographique des pays méditerranéens, 121: 33-40. (in French) Go to original source...
    32. Mekasha S.T., Suryabhagavan K.V., Gebrehiwot M. (2020): Geo-spatial approach for land-use and land-cover changes and deforestation mapping: A case study of Ankasha Guagusa, Northwestern, Ethiopia. Tropical Ecology, 61: 550-569. Go to original source...
    33. Mezgebu A., Workineh G. (2017): Changes and drivers of afro-alpine forest ecosystem: Future trajectories and management strategies in Bale eco-region, Ethiopia. Ecological Processes, 6: 1-13. Go to original source...
    34. Navarro Cerrillo R.M., Vieira D.J.E., Ochoa-Gaona S., Jong B.H.J., Serrano M.M.D. (2019): Land cover changes and fragmentation in mountain neotropical ecosystems of Oaxaca, Mexico under community forest management. Journal of Forestry Research, 30: 143-155. Go to original source...
    35. Pang S.E.H., Alban J.D.T.D., Webb E.L. (2021): Effects of climate change and land cover on the distributions of a critical tree family in the Philippines. Scientific Reports, 11: 1-13. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    36. Razali A., Ismail S.N.S., Awang S., Praveena S.M., Abidin E.Z. (2018): Land use change in highland area and its impact on river water quality: A review of case studies in Malaysia. Ecological Processes, 7: 19. Go to original source...
    37. Recanatesi F., Petroselli A. (2020): Land cover change and flood risk in a peri-urban environment of the metropolitan area of Rome (Italy). Water Resources Management, 34: 4399-4413. Go to original source...
    38. Sangare H., Daou I., Keita I. (2020): Évolution de l'occupation du sol dans le bassin versant de Korola (région de Sikasso, Mali) à partir des images satellitaires Landsat. La Revue Ivoirienne des Sciences et Technologie, 36: 193-207. (in French)
    39. Santos F. (2010): Le kappa de Cohen: Un outil de mesure de l'accord inter-juges sur des caractères qualitatifs. Bordeaux, UMR 5199 PACEA: 5. Available at: https://docplayer.fr/71703588-Le-kappa-de-cohen-un-outil-de-mesure-de-l-accord-inter-juges-sur-des-caracteres-qualitatifs.html (in French)
    40. Seyam H.M.M., Haque M.R., Rahman M.M. (2023): Identifying the land use land cover (LULC) changes using remote sensing and GIS approach: A case study at Bhaluka in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Case Studies in Chemical and Environmental Engineering, 7: 100293. Go to original source...
    41. Shekar P.R., Mathew A. (2023): Detection of land use/land cover changes in a watershed: A case study of the Murredu watershed in Telangana state, India. Watershed Ecology and the Environment, 5: 46-55. Go to original source...
    42. Shen G., Nasser A., Wang Z., Ma C., Gong J. (2015): Spatial-temporal land-use/land-cover dynamics and their impacts on surface temperature in Chongming Island of Shanghai, China. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 15: 4037-53. Go to original source...
    43. Suleiman M.S., Wasonga O.V., Mbau J.S., Elhadi Y.A. (2017): Spatial and temporal analysis of forest cover change in Falgore Game Reserve in Kano, Nigeria. Ecological Processes, 6: 11-13. Go to original source...
    44. Thapa R.B., Murayama Y. (2009): Examining spatiotemporal urbanization patterns in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal: Remote sensing and spatial metrics approaches. Remote Sensing, 1: 534-556. Go to original source...
    45. USGS (2017): Global Visualization Viewer (GloVis). Reston, USGS. Available at: http://glovis.usgs.gov/
    46. Usman M., Liedl R., Shahid M.A., Abbas A. (2015): Land use/land cover classification and its change detection using multi-temporal MODIS NDVI data. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 25: 1479-1506. Go to original source...
    47. Verburg P.H, Veldkamp A. (2005): Introduction to the special issue on spatial modeling to explore land use dynamics. International Journal of Geographical Information Science, 19: 99-102. Go to original source...
    48. Verburg P.H, Groot W.T., Veldkamp A.J. (2003): Methodology for multi-scale land-use change modelling: Concepts and challenges. In: Dolman A.J., Verhagen A., Rovers C.A. (eds): Global Environmental Change and Land Use. Dordrecht, Springer: 17-51. Go to original source...
    49. Vittek M., Brink A., Donnay F., Simonetti D., Desclée B. (2014): Land cover change monitoring using Landsat MSS/TM satellite image data over West Africa between 1975 and 1990. Remote Sensing, 6: 658-676. Go to original source...
    50. Xu Y.M., LiY., Ouyang W., Hao F.H., Ding Z.L., Wang D.L. (2012): The impact of long-term agricultural development on the wetlands landscape pattern in Sanjiang Plain. Procedia Environmental Sciences, 13: 1922-1932. Go to original source...
    51. Xystrakis F., Psarras T., Koutsias N. (2017): A process-based land use/land cover change assessment on a mountainous area of Greece during 1945-2009: Signs of socio-economic drivers. Science of the Total Environment, 587: 360-370. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    52. Zhao Y., Zhang K., Fu Y., Zhang H. (2012): Examining land-use/land-cover change in the Lake Dianchi Watershed of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau of southwest China with remote sensing and GIS techniques: 1974-2008. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 9: 3843-3865. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY NC 4.0), which permits non-comercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content