Title: Identification of Soil Erosion Sites in Semi-Arid Zones: Using GIS, Remote Sensing and PAP/RAC Model
Abstract:
The environment has undergone significant degradation in Morocco last decade, due to the population growth that exerts great pressure on natural resources. Water erosion is a major factor of environmental deterioration, which is becoming more critical due to natural conditions and anthropogenic activities. This work focuses the assessment of lands vulnerability to water erosion in the High Ziz watershed. (South-East of Morocco). The erosion risk mapping is based on the guidelines of the Priority Action Programs/ Regional Activity Center (PAP/RAC) model, using remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Data processing consists of assessing the main causal factors: slope, lithology, land use, vegetation density and observed forms of erosion, then, providing a thematic map of erosive states distribution. The resulting map allows the subdivision of the high Ziz watershed into sub-basins, classified according to the degree of vulnerability to water erosion. The accuracy of the model is performed through the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve and the calculation of the area under the curve (AUC) confirming thus the PAP/RAC usefulness.
