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Drivers of Long-Term Land-Use Pressure in the Merguellil Wadi, Tunisia, Using DPSIR Approach and Remote Sensing

Khemiri, Khaoula ; Jebari, Sihem LU ; Mahdhi, Naceur ; Saidi, Ines ; Berndtsson, Ronny LU orcid and Bacha, Sinan (2022) In Land 11(1).
Abstract

Increasing land use pressure is a primary force for degradation of agricultural areas. The drivers for these pressures are initiated by a series of interconnected processes. This study presents a novel methodology to analyze drivers of changing land use pressure and the effects on society and landscape. The focus was on characterizing these drivers and relate them to land use statistics obtained from geospatial data from the important semiarid Merguellil Wadi between 1976 and 2016. Cause-and-effect relationships between different drivers of land use change were analyzed using the DPSIR approach. Results show that during the 40-year period cultivated land increased and wetland areas decreased substantially. Drivers for change were... (More)

Increasing land use pressure is a primary force for degradation of agricultural areas. The drivers for these pressures are initiated by a series of interconnected processes. This study presents a novel methodology to analyze drivers of changing land use pressure and the effects on society and landscape. The focus was on characterizing these drivers and relate them to land use statistics obtained from geospatial data from the important semiarid Merguellil Wadi between 1976 and 2016. Cause-and-effect relationships between different drivers of land use change were analyzed using the DPSIR approach. Results show that during the 40-year period cultivated land increased and wetland areas decreased substantially. Drivers for change were pressure from economic development, cultivation practices, and hydro-agricultural techniques. This leads to stress on water and soil resulting in soil erosion, poverty increase, and rural exodus. We show that hydro-agricultural techniques adapted to the semiarid climate, allocation of land property rights, resource allocation, and improved marketing of agricultural products can help rural residents to diversify their economy, and thus better preserve the fragile semiarid landscape. Results of this study can be used to ensure sustainable management of water and soil resources in areas with similar climate and socio-economic conditions.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
DPSIR approach, Drivers of land use change, Remote sensing, Semiarid Tunisia, Socioeconomic changes
in
Land
volume
11
issue
1
article number
138
publisher
MDPI AG
external identifiers
  • scopus:85123368929
ISSN
2073-445X
DOI
10.3390/land11010138
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
65389fea-6540-48d8-9702-325240e1b09a
date added to LUP
2022-03-21 14:48:55
date last changed
2023-10-14 23:07:48
@article{65389fea-6540-48d8-9702-325240e1b09a,
  abstract     = {{<p>Increasing land use pressure is a primary force for degradation of agricultural areas. The drivers for these pressures are initiated by a series of interconnected processes. This study presents a novel methodology to analyze drivers of changing land use pressure and the effects on society and landscape. The focus was on characterizing these drivers and relate them to land use statistics obtained from geospatial data from the important semiarid Merguellil Wadi between 1976 and 2016. Cause-and-effect relationships between different drivers of land use change were analyzed using the DPSIR approach. Results show that during the 40-year period cultivated land increased and wetland areas decreased substantially. Drivers for change were pressure from economic development, cultivation practices, and hydro-agricultural techniques. This leads to stress on water and soil resulting in soil erosion, poverty increase, and rural exodus. We show that hydro-agricultural techniques adapted to the semiarid climate, allocation of land property rights, resource allocation, and improved marketing of agricultural products can help rural residents to diversify their economy, and thus better preserve the fragile semiarid landscape. Results of this study can be used to ensure sustainable management of water and soil resources in areas with similar climate and socio-economic conditions.</p>}},
  author       = {{Khemiri, Khaoula and Jebari, Sihem and Mahdhi, Naceur and Saidi, Ines and Berndtsson, Ronny and Bacha, Sinan}},
  issn         = {{2073-445X}},
  keywords     = {{DPSIR approach; Drivers of land use change; Remote sensing; Semiarid Tunisia; Socioeconomic changes}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{MDPI AG}},
  series       = {{Land}},
  title        = {{Drivers of Long-Term Land-Use Pressure in the Merguellil Wadi, Tunisia, Using DPSIR Approach and Remote Sensing}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/land11010138}},
  doi          = {{10.3390/land11010138}},
  volume       = {{11}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}