Dynamics of forest landscapes associated with bours crops in Morocco’s High Atlantic Atlas (case of the lower Oued Tamri valley)

Resumen

The forest landscape of the lower Oued Tamri valley, is the result of a complex interaction between natural environments and human activities, shaped by ecological and human factors. This diversity is due to the interaction of landscape elements with varied biophysical and socio-spatial characteristics. Our approach combines the results of field surveys (floristic, natural regeneration), surveys of heads of household and satellite image processing. By crossing these different sources of data, we hope to gain a better understanding of the ecological and socio-economic factors that influence the evolution of landscapes over time. We have chosen a diachronic approach based on digital processing of Landsat images (1984, 2000, 2022) and supervised classification. This analysis reveals the degradation of the forest cover, mainly associated with recurrent long periods of drought, often seen as an indicator of climate change. This dynamic process is also linked to alternating phases of rural and agricultural encroachment and abandonment, leading to a degradation or retreat of the argan and cedar landscapes, as well as an increasingly marked trend towards the extension of the matorral. Between 1984 and 2022, 37% of the area of argan and cedar forest cover was lost, resulting in an increase of almost 20% in the area of bare soil and cultivated land.