Drought risk assessment in pasture arid Morocco through remote sensing

in African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology (2010), 4(12), 845-852

During the last three decades, Morocco has experienced several stern and extended episodes of drought that severely affected pasture production. To cope with this phenomenon, the policy makers have put ... [more ▼]

During the last three decades, Morocco has experienced several stern and extended episodes of drought that severely affected pasture production. To cope with this phenomenon, the policy makers have put emphasis on a reactive short term management approach rather than on pro-active risk-based management measures. The purpose of this study is the assessment of drought by remote sensing, which is an important step in the design and implementation of drought management plan. To reach this objective we used bi-weekly TERRA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS 250 m) data in arid pasture of Morocco. A preliminary mapping using Landsat TM5 of major land cover types was carried out to extract the pasture area. A comparison of annual and seasonal Normalised Difference Vegetation Indices (NDVI), Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) and rainfall during the time period of 2000 - 2008 were carried out. Results showed that stronger relationship of NDVI with previous seasonal rainfall as compared to VCI indicating that NDVI variation is a good indicator of vegetation changes and consequently can give a better idea on drought conditions in the study area. [less ▲]

Désertification des parcours arides au Maroc

in Tropicultura (2010), 28(2), 107-114

Rangeland or natural arid pastures of Morocco are ecosystems where there is a natural or seminatural vegetation composed of steppes, shrubs and grassland. They cover about 82% of the Moroccan arid lands ... [more ▼]

Rangeland or natural arid pastures of Morocco are ecosystems where there is a natural or seminatural vegetation composed of steppes, shrubs and grassland. They cover about 82% of the Moroccan arid lands. These areas represent livelihoods for thousands of people and protect the country from desertification. Despite the importance of the rangelands and the threat of desertification, it is surprising that up to date there is no comprehensive assessment of their condition and their evolution, hindering any plan for desertification alleviation. However, the available information on selected pilot areas shows that these rangelands are threatened by desertification. It’s associated with biodiversity loss and contributes to climate change. The leading causes of land degradation are the human actions combined with climate. The establishment of a comprehensive surveillance system based on remote sensing, biophysics and socio-economic data must be envisaged to provide policymakers with an operational tool adapted to the spatio-temporal monitoring of desertification. [less ▲]